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THE 

CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

(MAGNESIUM INFILTRATION) 



A SKETCH OF THE CAUSATIVE FACTORS 
IN DISORDERS OF NUTRITION AS RELATED 
TO DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



BY 

JOHN AULDE, M.D. 



FORMERLY ASSISTANT PHYSICIAN, OUT-PATIENT DEPARTMENT, JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE 
HOSPITAL; DEMONSTRATOR OF PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS AND CLINICAL MEDICINE, MEDICO- 
CHIRURGICAL COLLEGE; MEMBER AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, PENNSYLVANIA 
STATE AND PHILADELPHIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES; MEDICAL EXAMINER 
METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY (1892-1900) ; DELEGATE TO 
NINTH ANNUAL CONVENTION FOR REVISION UNITED STATES 
PHARMACOPOEIA (1890"). 
AUTHOR OF "THE POCKET PHARMACY," "DIET FOR HEALTH," "CELLULAR THERAPEUTICS," 
"COPPER ARSENITE AND NUCLEIN SOLUTION FOR TYPHOID FEVER," " DYSPEPSIA: ITS 
CAUSATION AND SYSTEMIC EFFECTS A STUDY IN RECONSTRUCTIVE META- 
MORPHOSIS, PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGIC," "NUCLEINS: A CLINICAL 
STUDY," "MANUAL OF PHYSIOLOGIC CELL MEDICATION, WITH 
THERAPEUTIC INDEX AND GUIDE," "MULTITOXINE FOR 
TUBERCULOSIS," "TYPICAL TUBERCULOSIS," 
"MAGNESIUM INFILTRATION," ETC. 



ILLUSTRATED WITH FOUR PLATES 



PHILADELPHIA 
JOHN AULDE, M.D. 

1912 




& 



** 



Copyright, 1912 
All rights reserved 



^CU320746 



PREFACE 



In a sketch, confined to the study of a single factor 
associated with health maintenance, there are difficulties as 
well as dangers. Too much stress may be placed upon the 
premises, in which case the superstructure is not properly 
supported; hence, the dangers arising from unwarranted 
deductions. Again, a series of didactic essays, elaborating 
a new and novel principle in the treatment of disease, no 
matter how scientific their character, w r ould fail to command 
attention unless amply confirmed by suitable evidence; 
hence, the demand for clinical reports, the crucial test of 
adaptability, a plan which has been followed in so far as 
appeared necessary to establish the claims advanced in 
respect to diseases of the nervous system. 

As a preliminary to this discussion, however, it was 
deemed the part of wisdom to take a cursory survey of the 
ground to be covered — under the head of "General Con- 
siderations" — later, taking up more in detail, "Disorders 
of Nutrition." For example, in studying the fundamental 
basis underlying the development of any disease, we must 
endeavor to obtain all possible data, to the end that the 
deductions shall be warranted by the facts adduced. Now, 
admitting that diseases of the nervous system are dependent 
upon impaired nutrition, it is necessary that we should have 
clear conceptions relating to the various functions incident 
to normal life. 

These topics are conveniently arranged under appropriate 
headings for the purpose of developing the importance and 



IV PREFACE 

significance of the chemic deviation designated magnesium 
infiltration, sufficient evidence, scientific and clinical, being 
presented to confirm the claims advanced; and instead of 
formal statements, arbitrary and dogmatic assertions, the 
arguments have been couched in language well within the 
understanding of a select class of readers — such an element 
as it is assumed would derive personal advantage from the 
contained information. 

Inasmuch as the belief is prevalent, if not universal, that 
animal life is a constant struggle with germs, it may be well 
to clear up this obscure question. 

Germ life and germ activity — in the production of disease 
— have always been with us, and had we failed to learn the 
lesson taught by cleanliness, plagues like those of ancient 
times would to-day scourge the population throughout the 
world. There is a suspicion lurking in the minds of some 
intelligent people — including even physicians — that many 
diseases are not due either directly or indirectly to bacterial 
invasion, and as we shall see presently, there is a chemic 
deviation incident to all diseases, acute and chronic, func- 
tional and organic, infectious and non-infectious, which 
modifies — increases or diminishes — their severity. Alkales- 
cence of the body fluids — blood and lymph — and tissues, is 
the pivot or turning point between health and disease, 
whether due to bacteria or otherwise, and a solution of this 
mystery, which is the chemic problem, affords a most encour- 
aging outlook for the conservation of health and longevity. 

The story of bacteria is more than entertaining; it is fasci- 
nating. It was Virchow, the celebrated German pathologist, 
who demonstrated the leucocytes, or white blood corpuscles 
(1858); then came Pasteur, the Frenchman, an inorganic 
chemist, who twenty years later, discovered the bacteria. 



PREFACE V 

A few years later, (1882), Metchnikoff, a Russian and a 
zoologist, at Messina, Italy, first published his new theory of 
inflammation — that congestion (at a wound), was due to the 
concentration of certain white blood corpuscles (phagocytes), 
their special function being to overpower or destroy the 
invading microbes. That alkalescence promotes leucocytosis 
is now a well known clinical as well as scientific fact — 
although not previously applied in practical medicine. 

Metchnikoff s discovery was accepted as the missing link, 
and while the deductions have not been invalidated by sub- 
sequent investigations, other potential factors of peculiar 
significance have since been discovered and demonstrated — 
a synopsis will materially aid the reader in determining 
both the relative and absolute value of alkalescence as an 
antagonist to bacterial invasion. 

In diphtheria, for example, we must assume that nature 
provides, perhaps through the medium of these white 
blood corpuscles — some occult, chemic substance which 
neutralizes (destroys), the poison produced by the special 
bacteria, that is, an antitoxin. The bacteria themselves 
are not poisonous; it is their toxin which causes inflamma- 
tion and interferes with nerve conduction. Antitoxin can be 
prepared artificially, and has proven remarkably efficient — 
when employed in the early stage of the disease — the 
suggestion is advanced here that remedial measures con- 
ducted for the purpose of maintaining approximately the 
normal alkalescence would add to the efficiency of antitoxin 
treatment. 

Bactericides are employed to kill the germs and thus 
diminish germ multiplication. To Lister belongs the honor 
of first employing these substances in surgical operations — 
as antiseptics — but this plan was discontinued when it was 



VI PREFACE 

found that strict cleanliness was quite sufficient to prevent 
suppuration. Internally, of course, we have the antiseptic 
produced by the white blood corpuscles, and their efficiency 
is notably augmented by maintaining alkalescence. 

Bacteriolysins are "anti-bodies" formed by the union of 
two separate substances, complement and addiment; they 
act upon the bacteria, dissolving them, and necessarily, 
their production will be favored by alkalescence. 

Agglutinins show the reaction of the organism to bacterial 
invasion; that is, they develop a measure of the capacity 
for resistance by producing "clumping" of the germs. In 
typhoid fever, for instance, so long as we can maintain 
normal cellular activity, by means of alkalescence, the 
clumping persists — and the case remains mild. 

Opsonins, the most recent addition to our list of antag- 
onists, have the disadvantage of requiring skilled technique 
for their demonstration, in consequence of which their 
intrinsic merits may not be fully appreciated. The word 
opsonin is derived from the Greek, and means "to make 
palatable." Thus, when the opsonic index is high, the 
bacilli are more susceptible to phagocytes than when the 
index is low, but so far as can be learned, these investigations 
have been conducted without reference to the chemic 
status of the blood. Indeed, a controversy has arisen between 
Wright, the discoverer, and Metchnikoff, the veteran, as 
to what the opsonic index actually shows. The former 
claims that they augment bacterial susceptibility, while 
the latter insists that they stimulate phagocytosis. 

Fortunately, the theory that alkalescence is antagonistic 
to bacterial invasion not only proves that both are correct 
in their deductions, because alkalescence does precisely 
what each claims, but it also harmonizes all the numerous 



PREFACE vn 

contentions, acrid and friendly, which have been going on 
now for more than a quarter of a century. 

The following tabulation is appended as a convenient 
diagram for reference, since alkalescence gives promise of 
becoming an important factor in the treatment of disease. 

Antagonists to Bacterial Invasion. 

1. Leucocytes . . (Phagocytosis) — Destroy (ingest) the germs 
(Metchnikoff). 

2 Antitoxins / Artificial (Behring); 

' Anui;oxins • \ Normal — Neutralize germ products (toxins) . 

q o n «* M s M j < i A <, f Artificial (Lister); 

6. Bactericides . j Normal— To kill the germs— in situ. 

4. Bacteriolysins | A dSment— Dissolving the germs (Pfeiffer). 

5. Agglutinins . . Produce clumping of the germs (Widal) ; 

a rw,«„-„«, J Augment bacterial susceptibility (Wright) ; 

o. opsonins. . | Stimulate phagocytosis (Metchnikoff). 

That the maintenance of all these vital functions in their 
integrity depends upon alkalescence is well shown in the 
following tabulation : 

Summary. 

1. Promotes leucocytosis; 

2. Increases anti-bacterial properties of the blood ; 

3. Diminishes germ multiplication; 
Alkalescence \ 4. Favors production of "defensive proteids;'' 

5. Augments cellular activity — meaning greater 
supply; 

6. Lessens bacterial virulence. 

"Finger-prints," first proposed, and later systematized, 
by Sir Francis Galton (1892), as a means of personal identifi- 
cation, is almost absolutely safe (reliable), the "chance" of 
two identical finger-prints being less than 1 in 64,000,000,000. 
Now, as a matter of clinical evidence, the chemic deviation 
known as magnesium infiltration is almost as certainly and 
positively demonstrable — first, by means of the palpable 



Vlll PREFACE 

changes (reactions), present in the body fluids, taking the 
saliva as a guide, or the disordered condition of the nervous 
system, by an investigation of the reflexes. In the second 
place, we have the defective secondary assimilation, along 
with the "nervousness," irritability, or what not, in proof 
of the first proposition; and third, we have the evidences 
confirmatory of both — in the results of treatment conducted 
for the sole purpose of correcting the assumed chemic devia- 
tion. 

Back of this, however, lies the primary or causative factor, 
which being removed, or corrected, the untoward effects 
will disappear. This, of course, has to deal with the digestive 
apparatus, or primary assimilation; hence, the first lesson 
to be learned in order to secure permanent results relates 
to the digestive capacity. 

Thus, in all disorders we have but two factors — the cause 
and the effect; and while it is always necessary to remove 
the cause, it may be expedient or even advisable to afford 
temporary relief by means of treatment calculated to ameli- 
orate or modify the effect of chemic deviation. Fortunately, 
in this instance, cause and effect are so intimately related 
and interdependent, that medication may be conducted 
for the two-fold purpose — many of the reported cases will 
show the symmetry and completeness of treatment in this 
particular and emphasize the claim for efficiency and 
simplicity. 

In neurasthenia with its multiplicity of symptoms, all due 
to functional changes incident to the chemic deviation, 
treatment directed to the primary cause, impaired digestive 
capacity, leads to the most favorable results. In neuritis, 
neuralgia, magnesia heart, chorea and infantile paralysis, 
however, we must not only remove the effect — in the form 



PREFACE IX 

of inorganic deposits which impede, hinder, or destroy the 
capacity of the nerves for the uninterrupted transmission 
of impulses — but we must also remove the original cause. 
No strict line of demarcation should be drawn, however, 
since the correct treatment of one factor is always attended 
with more or less benefit to the other, direct or indirect, 
immediate and remote, so that we avoid the complications 
incident to the use of anodynes, narcotics and hypnotics. 

While the trend in medical science has been "upward 
and onward," medical art has been vacillating and unsteady, 
or "wabbling" in its course — due to lack of a fundamental 
basis — but the working hypothesis here presented, together 
with our knowledge of bacteriology (biology), gives promise 
of the dawn of a new era upon the medical horizon. 

In conclusion then, these teachings should be regarded as 
an exhibition of " potisimsm" the French substitute for 
scientific — knowledge derived from fact and evidence, 
rather than from intuition and tradition. And finally, the 
writer takes this opportunity to thank his colleagues for 
their continued interest in his work, and also for their 
patience in awaiting the promised publication. 

The Author. 

Philadelphia, September, 1912. 



CONTENTS 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 

A New Disease (?) — Art and Science — Discovery and Inven- 
tion — Definition — Physiology and Pathology — Function 
of Cells and Reactions — Questions for Discussion — Invasion 
and Recovery — Summary 1 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS (Continued) 

Susceptibility and Resistance (Immunity) — Nature of Infec- 
tion — Age — Occupation — Diet — Environment — Heredity, 
Atavism, etc. — Galton's Law — ''Mixed" Transmission — 
Mendel's Law — A Diathesis, Acquired and Chronic, or 
Constitutional — Conclusion 15 



DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Physiologic Data: Resume 

The Milk in the Cocoanut — A Malady Easily Recognized — 
Physiology and Pathology — The Blood and Protoplasm 
— Organic and Functional Disorders — Red and White 
Corpuscles — Blood Plasma — Hemoglobin and Derivatives — 
Aeration and Ventilation — An Apotheosis of Medicalism 
— Respiratory Function of the Tissues — Diminished Alka- 
lescence — Edison's Work on Colloids — Transient Effects of 
Electricity — Electro-plating from Magnesium Oxide — The 
Problem in Nutrition — Mass Action 33 

A Study of Metabolism 

Definition — Normal Nerve Stimuli — Electric Conductivity — 
Heat and Cold — Mechanic Stimulus — Intrinsic Merits of 
Osteo-therapy — Chemic Stimulus the Crux — Adaptability 
of Glandular Structures — Abnormal Chemic Stimuli — Acid 
Excess Hinders Intestinal Digestion — Psychic Stimulus — 
Tropism: Radio-activity — Physiologic Action — Atomic 
Nature of Radium 48 



Hi CONTENTS 

A Study of Metabolism (Continued) 

Absorption and Excretion — The Digestive Apparatus — The Pan- 
creatic Secretion — Final Stage in Absorption — Microbic 
Digestion — Acid Excess in Debility — Excretion by Various 
Routes — Excretion by the Pulmonary Apparatus — Vicarious 
Function — The Skin — A Case of Rheumatism — Secondary 
Assimilation — Purgatives Objectionable — Acid Excess and 
Innervation — Summary 69 

Inorganic Ferments 

Colloidal Solutions — Colloids Xon-toxic — Oligo-dynamics — 
Surface Energy — Adaptability of Mineral Ferments — Anal- 
ogous to Organic Ferments — Bredig's Impressions — Poisons 
Affecting Colloidal Solutions — Clinical and Scientific Facts 
— Influence of Tradition 82 

The Food Problem, with Dietary Studies 

A Xevt Factor in Disease — A Question in Dietetics — Magnesia 

in Excess — Ash Constituents of Food Materials (Tabulation) 92 
Dietary Studies — Teacher's Family. Indiana — Mill Workman's 

Family, Pittsburg — Xegro Farmer's Family, Alabama . . 98 
Mechanism op the Xeryous System — Chorea (St. Vitus' 

Dance) — Infantile Paralysis — Insomnia — Mucous Catarrh 

and Skin Diseases 102 

The Chemic Problem — Assimilation, Primary and Secondary — 

Magnesium I nfi ltration — Xature of Magnesia Deposits . . 106 
Injurious Effects of Magnesium on Plant Life (Illustrated) 

— Electrolytes from Plant Growth — Regulating Medication 

— Ash Constituents Required Daily (Tabulation) . . . 112 
Pellagra — A Disorder of Xutrition — Xormal Acidity of Corn 

Meal — Chemic Constituents of Corn — Deficiency of Lime 
and its Effects 118 

Chemic Deviations ln the Vascular System 
Description — Arterial Changes — Calcareous Degeneration — 
Hyaline Degeneration — Fatty Degeneration — Fatty Infil- 
tration — Amyloid Degeneration — Atheroma — Endarteritis — 
Arterio-sclerosis — The Ductless Glands — Mucoid Degenera- 
tion — Colloid Degeneration — Arterial Obstruction — Em- 
bolus — Thrombus — Blood Clotting — Remedial Measures in 
Arterio-sclerosis — Blood Pressure — Xormal Systolic Pressure 
(Tabulation) 124 



CONTEXTS xni 

Chemic Deviations in the Vascular System (Continued) 

The Capillaries — Congestion — Edema and Nephritis — The Veins 
— Varicose Veins — Illustrative Cases — Phlebitis — Milk-leg — 
The Lymphatics — The Lymphatic Glands — Appendicitis — 
Rational Plan of Treatment — Osmotic Pressure and Osmosis 145 

The Causative Factor in Heart Failure 

A Practical Theory — Proportions of Lime and Magnesia in the 
Nuclear Mass — Maintaining the Heart Throb — Mineral 
Salts in Animal Organisms (Tabulation) — The Demand for 
Phosphoric Acid — Magnesium a Resistance Coil — Types of 
Magnesium Infiltration — The Chemistry of Insanity — Neur- 
asthenia 160 

The Causative Factor in Heart Failure (Continued) 

The Magnesia Heart — Diagnosis — Objective Symptoms — 
The Psychic Factor — Subjective Symptoms — Muscular 
Twitching — Numbness — Insomnia — Associated Symptoms 
— Cerebral Symptoms — The Tendency to Obesity — Arterio- 
sclerosis — Class of Cases — Treatment (Tabulation) — Symp- 
tomatic and Collateral Treatment (Tabulation) — To 
Restore the Digestive Capacity — To Neutralize Acid Excess 
— To Promote Magnesium Dissociation — Lymph Stasia — 
Hepatic Insufficiency — Constipation (Epsom Salt) — Typi- 
cal Illustrations — Aphasia — Ossification — Statistic? . . 169 

The Complication in Constitutional Maladies 

Principles of Medical Treatment 199 

Diabetes Mellitus — Acidosis — Acid Excess — Indicanuria 
— Estimated Amount of Mineral Acids (Tabulation) — 
Diabetic Coma — Symptoms of Suboxidation — Anomalies of 
Function 200 

Rheumatism — The Chemic Deviation — Illustrative Cases — 

Lumbago — Sciatica 207 

Gout and Lithemia — Arthritis Deformans 211 

Diseases of Bone — Significance of Bone Disease — Growth and 
Development — The Binet Test — Mental Deficiency and 
Precocity (Tabulation) — Consecutive Ailments .... 215 



xiv CONTENTS 

The Complication in Constitutional Maladies (Continued) 
Suppuration — Treatment — Abscess — Boils and Carbuncle — 

Organo-therapy 228 

Catarrh — Acute Catarrh — Bronchial Catarrh — Summer Catarrh 
— Stomach Catarrh — Intestinal Catarrh — General Remarks 
on Mucous Catarrh — Catarrhal Inflammation — Catarrh of 
the Bladder — Uterine Catarrh — Leucorrhea — Prostatorrhea 
— Intestinal Adhesions — Plastic Inflammation .... 238 

Infectious Diseases — Bacteria — Ptomains and Leucomains — 

Microbic Digestion 255 

The Complication in Constitutional Maladies (Concluded) 
Jaundice (Clinical Reports) 259 

Skin Diseases — Alternation of Diseases — Clinical Reports on 

Eczema and Psoriasis — Conclusion 266 

Tonsillitis — Acid Excess — Anodynes — Hypnotics — Anti- 
septics — Antipyretics — Sudorifics — Arterial Sedatives — Topi- 
cal Applications — Schema of Treatment (Tabulation) — 
Direct — Susceptibility — Collateral: Fever, Congestion and 
Restlessness — Pain, Headache or Nausea and Vomiting — 
Local Antiseptics — Suppuration — General and Hygienic 
Treatment 275 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Psychiatry — Alkalescence a Factor — Rest and Exercise — Causes 
and Symptoms — Physiologic Basis — Forms of Invasion — 
Infantile Paralysis — Paresthesia — Spinal Section — Ray- 
naud's Disease — Motor and Sensory Nerves — Morbid 
Reflexes — Locomotor Ataxia — Incipient Paresis — Nervous 
Prostration — Abstract and Concrete Evidence — Senile 
Changes — Sclerosis — Prevention or Cure — Agraphia — 
Aphasia— Old Age 283 

DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 
(Continued) 

Why is Laziness? 307 

Neuritis (Clinical Reports) — Causative Factors — Mercurialism 312 



CONTENTS xv 

DISEASES OF THE XERVOUS SYSTEM 

(COXTLN LED) 

Xeurasthexia (Clinical Reports) — Deviations Responsible for 

its Appearance (Tabulation) — The Cause an Effect . . . 328 

Xeeyous Dyspepsia — Gastralgia — Insanity — Goiter — Vomiting 

of Pregnancy — Review 344 



DISEASES OF THE XERVOUS SYSTEM 
(Concluded) 

Ixfaxtile Paralysis — Infectious Xature — A Working Hypo- 
thesis — Direct Treatment — Acid Excess a Factor — Tech- 
nical Xame — Specific Bacterial Infection — Treatment 
(Tabulation) — Experimental Researches — Mode of Invasion 
— Infantile Paralysis at Birth — Sepsis in all Disorders — 
Treatment after the Acute Stage — Clinical Reports — 
Quartation — Characteristics 359 

Chorea — Definition — Causative Factors — Idiopathic — Septic 
Infection — Arterio-sclerosis — Athetosis — The Chemic Devia- 
tion — Paralysis Agitans — Huntingdon's Chorea — Tabulation 
(Causative Factors) — Hysterical Chorea — Writer's Cramp — 
Pregnancy — Rational vs. Scientific (?) Treatment (Tabula- 
tion) — Rational Treatment (Tabulation) 383 



THE CHEMIC PKOBLEM IN NUTBITION. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

A New Disease (?) — Art and Science — Discovery and Invention — 
Definition — Physiology and Pathology — Function of Cells and Reac- 
tions — Questions for Discussion — Invasion and Recovery — Summary. 

A New Disease (?). — We are surprised at the wonderful 
results attained by scientists in the development of labor 
saving devices on a commercial basis, and we cannot resist 
the temptation to speculate as to the outlook for even greater 
achievements in the future than in the past, since the field 
for experimental investigation is almost unlimited, free and 
open to all who choose to take an active part in this laudable 
work. So in the domain of medicine and surgery, announce- 
ments of discoveries and inventions are of almost daily 
occurrence, all having utilitarian objects, and it is interesting 
to note that such announcements, not infrequently, appear 
simultaneously in different countries, occasionally from 
different localities in the same country, showing the altru- 
istic trend in medical thought as well as the disposition to 
follow certain lines — in other words, to follow tradition, or 
meet a public demand? In ancient times, all innovations 
were decried and condemned and their authors punished, 
the penalty being determined by the seriousness of the 
offense. But things have changed under modern views. 
In medicine as in other sciences, all claims, novel and new, 
are promptly submitted to scientific and clinical tests for 
verification. Hence, the inquiry — Is "magnesium infiltra- 
tion" a new disease or merely a discovery? 

Before taking up this question, a word should be inter- 



2 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

polated in order that the reader may understand definitely 
the difficulties in the way of progress in the treatment of 
disease, not the least of these being the lack of general intelli- 
gence on the part of the public, although this objection no 
longer holds good, as "the school-master is abroad." 

Art and Science. — The present position of medical science 
has been attained only through a devious and circuitous 
route, and numerous by-paths have been more assiduously 
and earnestly explored than the main thoroughfare. How- 
ever, the record of this haphazard work is not without value, 
since it enables us to avoid the quagmires and pitfalls which 
beset our forebears. 

In the modern treatment of disease, science has largely 
supplanted art, with the result that mere symptoms are 
set aside, unless the indicated pathologic conditions can be 
demonstrated and confirmed by chemic or physiologic 
tests, or microscopic investigation — in short, with math- 
ematical precision. As a consequence, diagnosis is definite 
and positive — rarely are parents now satisfied with a brief 
report to the effect that a child has a "touch of diphtheria," 
a "slight attack" of tuberculosis, or is "threatened" with 
typhoid fever, because they know that medical science is 
not compelled to hazard an opinion in this class of disorders. 
Indeed, dereliction on the part of the medical attendant 
may not only jeopardize the lives of a whole family, but 
an entire neighborhood may thus be endangered. Under 
these conditions, the State or municipal authorities take 
a hand — for the protection of the public as well as the 
family — compelling the doctor to comply with the law and 
discharge his duty by determining the disease at the earliest 
possible moment. Thus science is the foundation for law — 
for public protection, or public good — establishing safety 
for the millions, an achievement utterly impossible under 
the unstable and vacillating dictum of art. Still, without 
art to adapt medication to the varying demands of the 
system when invaded by disease, the doctor would be 
seriously handicapped — as will be shown in discussing 
"invasion and recovery." 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 3 

Discovery and Invention. — There is a wide distinction 
between discovery and invention. Thus, Harvey's name 
is immortalized because of his discovery of the circulation 
of the blood; since that time, numerous inventions have 
been brought forward, enabling us to study in detail not 
only the movements of this fluid, but also the physical 
condition of the entire circulatory apparatus. The dis- 
covery of the specific infection in diphtheria resulted only 
after long and bitter controversy. It was claimed that if 
any sore throats were diphtheritic, all must be of the same 
character, differing only in severity. Finally, Prof. Loeffler 
of Germany, isolated the bacillus and demonstrated its 
special characteristics, as distinguished from the strepto- 
coccus infection, the latter being pyogenic (pus-producing), 
but non-infectious. Not only this, but Behring invented a 
process or method by which the toxic elements of the 
disease may be neutralized, so that thousands of human 
lives are annually saved — which brings us to the subject 
in hand. 

While a revolution has taken place in medical practice, 
it must be borne in mind that disease is a large field, and 
it is not claiming too much to say that the upheaval has 
not affected the entire surface, nor touched all points 
of the circumference. Indeed, there are still vast areas of 
unexplored territory, but the discovery of magnesium infil- 
tration opens up a new and promising lead which must 
bring joy to the heart of the pioneer in therapeutics — from 
both the scientific and clinical viewpoint. Eventually, 
discovery and invention must do for mankind what steam 
and electricity have done for commerce — popularize and 
democratize diagnosis and treatment, reducing these factors 
to their lowest terms and making every citizen an honorary 
member of the local Board of Health, as in the present 
widespread tuberculosis crusade, a popular, educational 
effort as well as a national propaganda. This does not 
imply that the public should undertake self-medication, 
but that the individual citizen should possess sufficient 
general intelligence to recognize deviations from normal 



4 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

and appreciate the dangers of delay ; it is the function of the 
doct<: rrmine the factors or elements which make up 

the morbid complexus and apply the reme 

Definition. — Magnesium infiltration may be defined as 
an abnormal condition in which the cellular structures are 
surcharged with magnesium, with coincident depletion of 
the lime content. 

To the non-technical reader, it should be explained that 
an "abnormal" condition is one brought about by disease, 
or in the case of deformity, something "interferes" with 
development or growth. The "cellular structures" include 
all the body tissues, :he entire organism being made up of 
cells. Magnesium infiltration of the tissues occurs under 
certain abnormal conditions (chemic), an acid excess, 
which removes (depletes) the lime, when magnesium takes 
its place, and the tissues are said to be "surcharged" with 
magnesium. Both lime and magnesium are "proximate" 
or first principles, and they are also inorganic, derived from 
the mineral kingdom. 

A plausible explanation may be offered to the effect that 
since both lime (calcium), and magnesium are proximate 
principles, the proportions might vary from time to time 
without any appreciable effect upon either function or 
structure, but that would be no evidence — mere assumption. 
Criticism might even go further, citing the long continued 
employment of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salt), as a 
popular domestic remedy and also a standard medication 
with physicians and surgeons for generations; but it must 
fall to the ground when confronted with the testimony 
furnished by physiologic research and clinical observation. 
Thus, magnesium sulphate solution injected into the spinal 
canal produces anesthesia below the point of injection, so 
that formidable operations are done while the patient is 
fully conscious, but without pain; similarly, the most 
forbidding cases of tetanus (lock-jaw), have been cured; 
locally, in the form of a saturated solution, it has been 
successfully employed in erysipelas; also, it is a most effica- 
a lotion in the case of bruises, swellings, and all varieties 



7 ~ 'SIDERATIOXS 5 

of local inflammation, including ivy poisoning, all going 
to show that this hitherto harmless (?) remedy exercises a 
profound effect upon the nervous system, presently to be 
considered. The discovery I this pathologic complex. 
an important step in demonstrating the function of cellular 
activities ; working out a method or system for its correction 
itself, substantially, a physiologic sequence 
or corollary, confirmed by chemistry and susceptible of 
microscopic demonstration — since it can be shown that 
magnesium infiltration is in fact a problem in nutrition. 

Physiology and Pathology. — Certain facts are patent to 
the most superficial reader regarding physiology and path- 
ology. The former deals with the normal functions of the 
living body — animal and vegetable — while the latter is 
concerned with diseased or abnormal conditions. Xow. since 
the human body comprises a number of organs and various 
types of tissue com]: cells possessing peculiar and 

special functions, it is but natural, after learning as much 
as possible concerning normal function, that the medical 
investigator should turn his attention to derangeme!.' 
the cell when the body is invaded by disease. Half a century 
ago. this work was well begun by Yirchow. the celebrated 
German pathologist, but notwithstanding the notable 
advances in medical science, there has been developed no 
concerted effort establish a "'Cellular Therapeutic- 
a complementary text-book to accompany and elaborate 
the science of disease as brought forward in his class 
work, "Cellular Pat: 

Function of Cells and Reactions. — A comparatively brief 
survey will show a peculiar and surprising harmony govern- 
ing the cellular activities in health — especially when we 
consider the numerous and various relations and inter- 
dependencies existing in the human organism. For example. 
a disease may be chronic, insidious, and self-perpetuating 
until the occurrence of some tmexpected event, to produce 
a shock in the nature of a favorable stimulus, when there 
follows imme a marked improvement, more or less 

permanent. The counterpart of this proposition is likewise 



6 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

possible, in fact, is frequently observed in real life — a person 
of previous good health experiences a shock, followed by a 
more or less rapid decline in health, which absolutely and 
persistently resists the most approved remedial measures. 

The question arises here — Is there a physical cause, or a 
physiologic explanation to account for such an antithetic 
denouement? Replying in the affirmative, I should attempt 
an explanation upon the basis of our common knowledge 
relating to the function of cells as regulated and controlled 
by the "reactions," as follows: As the first manifestation 
of disordered function, the "irritation" creates or produces 
a stimulus to the nervous system, this in turn giving rise 
to alkaline reaction — of the tissues involved. Under appro- 
priate treatment, all symptoms may disappear. Treatment 
which neglects this indication will but aggravate the con- 
dition, because nothing is done to promote or maintain 
the harmonious molecular changes in the ultimate cells 
(protoplasmic cells). 

Without treatment, if the disease advances, the stimulus, 
unable to correct the disorder, is abandoned, a vicious circle 
established and unless vicarious relief obtains, the disease 
process is uninterrupted. Again, a shock may give rise to 
nerve obsession to the extent that acidity — of the tissues — 
permits reversion in cell function and the formation within 
the body of various poisons — pneumo-toxin in the lungs, 
nephro-toxin in the kidneys, hepato-toxin in the liver, 
musculo-toxin in the muscles and neuro-toxin in the nerve 
structures. 

These laboratory findings relating to cytotoxines (cell- 
poisons), effectually dispose of the claims of Dubois and 
others, who advocate dialectics for the psycho-neuroses on 
the theory that all nervous disorders are of mental origin. 
By the same token "Rest Cures" and "Exercise Cures" 
will cease to be fashionable when it can be shown experi- 
mentally and clinically that acid excess may be neutralized, 
molecular changes restored to normal and nerve conduc- 
tion maintained — by the employment of medicinal measures 
based upon the unerring laws of physiology and chemistry, 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 7 

coupled with our knowledge relating to the normal nervous 
stimuli, electric, thermic, mechanic and chemic, and to this 
should be added a fifth — dirigation, or psychic stimulus. 

Thus, electricity enacts the role of a normal nervous 
stimulus which augments the alkalinity of the tissues, 
thereby restoring the cellular activities, with all the various 
functions grouped under the term "life," namely, nutrition, 
excretion, reproduction, motility and response to stimuli. 
Similar effects are produced by the judicious employment 
of heat (thermic), by mechanical means, such as massage, 
mechano-therapy and osteo-therapy, while medicinal mea- 
sures include both mechanic and chemic stimulation, much 
being accomplished through the latter when abnormal 
reactions have led to factitious deposits, interfering with the 
vital functions above referred to. In the case of magnesium 
deposits, an area of tissue in the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys 
or liver, may be "insulated," followed by death of the 
cells, the obstruction refusing to be influenced by either 
electric, thermic, or mechanic stimulation. In such cases, 
chemic stimulation, by neutralizing excessive acidity, and 
favoring a restoration of the normal reactions, will cause 
absorption of the barrier, lift the embargo upon the trans- 
mission of nerve impulses and permit resumption of the 
cellular activities. Temporary benefit may be derived 
from dirigation, an increased supply of blood being 
directed to the part affected by various modern methods, 
such as Christian science, mental healing and the more 
recent Emmanuel movement, but the permanency of the 
"cures" must depend upon the ability of our patients to 
secure and maintain, at least approximately, the normal 
alkalinity of the blood, a hopeful, receptive, and contented 
mentality being of paramount importance. 

Questions for Discussion. — The following pertinent ques- 
tions come up here for discussion: 

1. How are these symptoms and abnormal conditions 
developed ? 

2. How and where do they originate, and what is the 
exact nature of the causative factors? 



8 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

3. Is this malady of such a character that it may appear 
as an intercurrent complication in the ordinary or usual 
diseases which prevail? 

(1) Taking up these questions in their order, it should 
be stated that magnesium infiltration is essentially a dis- 
order of the nervous system. Its development depends upon 
various conditions. Thus, it may appear as the actual 
disease, as in neuritis, neuralgia, angina pectoris, locomotor 
ataxia, arterio-sclerosis, or whenever the nerve supply is 
surcharged with magnesium — effecting insulation, by chemic 
transformation. 1 

In the case of children suffering from intestinal disorders 
— "summer complaint" — it is an essential element of the 
disease as well as a factor in prolonging convalescence, by 
simple replacement. Similarly, in the indigestions, affect- 
ing the stomach or intestinal tract, it is a self-perpetuating 
factor, the origin being traceable to over-taxing the digestive 
capacity, followed by "acidity." With a restricted dietary, 
fresh air and proper exercise no medication is required. It 
precedes and follows rheumatism, and as a constant factor, 
is responsible for the thousand-and-one symptoms desig- 
nated subacute and chronic. In diabetes, it is the same, 
leading to acidosis, indicanuria, uremia, the alkalinity of 
the blood being reduced thirty to fifty per cent, below 
normal, diminishing its oxygen-carrying capacity to that 
extent. United with calcium, it is the causative factor in 
hardening the arteries (arterio-sclerosis), and disturbing 
the circulation, thus favoring senile changes and the pre- 
mature onset of old age. It is the alpha and omega of all 

1 Since the completion of this article there has been devised at the 
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, an ingenious electric contrivance 
which will indicate approximately the relative degree of deviation 
from normal in all the disorders mentioned. A wire in the magnetic 
field is deflected according to the amount of current flowing through 
it, thus enabling the medical attendant to determine relatively the 
degree of insulation incident to the magnesium deposits. It is an 
achievement of vast significance, and coming at a time when this 
peculiar diathesis is beginning to attract attention, it will serve the 
modern physician an important purpose — its intrinsic value as a guide 
to treatment is comparable only to the mariner's compass. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 9 

neurotic symptoms, running down the line from simple 
"nervousness" to neurasthenia, to hysteria, to hypochondria, 
to melancholia, and including finally all the various types 
of insanity. 

(2) To the student conversant with modern physiologic 
chemistry there is no mystery concerning the origin of the 
symptoms, or the exact nature of the causative factors — 
although some will reluctantly admit they knew it all the 
time, but had forgotten. 

Briefly, the pathology is technically covered by the 
observation of Prof. Loew, formerly of the University of 
Munich, relating to magnesium sulphate, as follows: 

" The calcium nucleo-proteids of the organized structures are 
transformed by the presence of soluble magnesium salts into 
magnesium compounds, while the calcium of the former enters 
into combination with the acid of the magnesium salt. By 
the transformation of organized nucleo-proteids into magnesium 
nucleo-proteids the capacity for imbibition will change, which 
must lead to a disturbance in the structure that will prove 
fatal. Only the simultaneous presence of dissolved lime salts 
can prevent this effect, according to the law of mass." 

Apparently, the calcium is held in loose combination with 
organized tissue, or its depletion is more easily effected by 
acids than other inorganic proximate principles, so that the 
normal cellular activities are suspended, being hindered 
by magnesium in excess. Actually, lime being a stronger 
base than magnesia, unites with the acid, while the latter 
"replaces" the lime in the tissues — as above described. 

Bearing in mind that this condition will change the 
capacity for imbibition (absorption), lead to a disturbance 
in the structure, and further, that it will interfere with the 
uninterrupted transmission of nerve impulses, the mag- 
nesium infiltration (deposits), acting as a resistance coil 
to the electric current — which supplies the energy for such 
transmission — the phenomena attending bowel troubles in 
children will be readily understood. 



10 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

A brief explanation here will be sufficient to answer 
fully the question. So-called "summer diseases" of children 
arise from impairment in the nutrition of the nervous sys- 
tem, the normal stimulus to produce alkalescence — of the 
tissues — being diminished, retarded or absent, in conse- 
quence of lime depletion with consecutive formation of 
magnesium nucleo-proteids, the bowel movements being 
sour — acid. 

To correct this defect and restore normal conditions, 
various methods are available, as follows: The exhibition 
of appropriate lime salts to recoup the depleted tissues and 
promote "dissociation" of the magnesium salts. The well 
known "chalk mixture" accomplishes this object, and 
when given in medicinal doses, there is also the local ant- 
acid effect to be considered. The addition of bismuth 
supplies a sedative and the two together furnish a physical 
barrier to the mephitic action of microorganisms, a subject 
which has been followed up with a far greater display of 
learning than judgment. Our homeopathic brethren treat 
these cases successfully, even after failure of the approved 
antiseptic methods, by the employment of calcarea carb. 
(calcium carbonate), and that, too, without seeing the child, 
a complete cure being effected within twenty-four or forty- 
eight hours. 

When it is deemed advisable to employ a "stimulus" as 
a means of promoting or restoring alkalescence, we have 
copper arsenite, a single small (comparatively) dose being 
usually quite sufficient — in the early stage, before lime 
depletion has exhausted the "irritability" of the nerve 
structures — and the same is true of electricity and massage 
and osteopathy, although our predecessors, in such cases, 
depended largely upon sedatives, usually opium or its 
derivatives, and had a strong leaning toward blisters and 
other forms of counter-irritation, turpentine, both internally 
and externally, being in great favor, using sedatives in 
combination with stimulants, thus showing lack of knowl- 
edge or lack of judgment. 

Christian science, psycho-therapy and the more recent 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 11 

"Emmanuel" movement, all depend for success upon the 
results of dirigation, a mental (psychologic) process, by 
which alkalescence is secured through "nerve stimulus," 
brought about, or initiated, by introspection. Substan- 
tially, the same effects may be secured by purely physical 
measures, as in Bier's method of producing artificial hyper- 
emia, whatever improvement occurs being susceptible of 
demonstration by means of instruments of precision. For 
example, in the case of obstruction to the circulation in 
one of the extremities — arm or leg — a tape is applied with 
a moderate degree of firmness above the involved area, to 
prevent the return flow of blood, and its repetition from 
time to time is attended with marked amelioration of the 
symptoms. Indeed, it has been suggested that the tape 
may be applied to the patient's neck in the case of disorders 
of the circulation involving the brain structures. 

Of course, in this class of cases, the physical remedy is 
reinforced or emphasized by the psychologic factor; but 
neither, nor both together, are the actual remedies — they 
are simply the means of securing a determination of blood 
to the part. It is the blood itself which affords relief — not 
because it contains certain nutritive elements, such as 
oxygen, hemoglobin, various salts, etc., but for the reason 
that it augments the alkalescence of the tissues — and makes 
the cells work. 

(3) In replying to our third query, special attention 
should be directed to certain logical deductions, axiomatic 
deductions, if we are to place dependence upon the evidence 
furnished by physiologic and chemic research, as follows: 
Nerve stimulus is demanded to create and maintain a 
normal alkalescence of the living tissues. The converse is 
also true — that impairment of nutrition hinders or obtunds 
cellular activity — leading to an excess of acid. Acid excess 
gives rise to various retrograde changes — reversion in cell 
function together with the formation of cytotoxines (cell- 
poisons) — and may ultimately constitute the exciting 
factor in different diseases. Magnesium infiltration being 
the direct and immediate effect of acid excess, it follows that 



12 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

it must be a concomitant of all disease processes, and from 
a clinical standpoint this is true — in general and in detail. 
Consider the evidence — acid stools in summer diseases of 
children, sour eructations (water-brash), in certain forms of 
dyspepsia, profuse sweating (always acid), in all acute 
diseases, notably in rheumatism and scarlet fever, night- 
sweats in chronic ailments, gout, influenza, tuberculosis, 
and frequently, during convalescence from acute diseases — 
in which the skin takes on a vicarious function. 

What folly, then, to administer drugs or apply remedies 
when acid excess has demoralized the harmonious relations 
of the cellular functions — the magnesium infiltration having 
arrested imbibition (absorption), inhibited or hindered the 
transmission of nerve impulses and laid an embargo upon 
electric energy? And, instead of consigning a patient to 
solitude in bed, to rest — and rust — or compelling him to 
exercise — and suffer — would it not be the part of wisdom 
to follow the lead furnished by nature by supplying an 
antidote to magnesia, or, to flush the system with an alkali 
by way of restoring the physiologic equilibrium? 

With a comprehensive plan of this character generally 
accepted by the profession, the hegira of our patients to 
take up with psychologic hobbies would cease, and we should 
hear less unfavorable comments upon the short-comings 
of medical practice. 

Invasion and Recovery. — The invasion of disease is 
always attended with modifications in cell function as here 
outlined, and this again, for the most part, arises from 
the insidious development of acid excess as a resultant of 
defective assimilation, primary and secondary, and reversion 
in cell function — retrograde tissue change. Whether the 
disease be acute or chronic, whether it affects the infant, 
the adult or the aged, there is always a pre-diseased condi- 
tion which may be recognized by the physician who becomes 
thoroughly familiar with the symptoms and laws relating 
to its progress. As a matter of fact, in most instances, an 
oncoming affection may be anticipated, so that if it cannot 
be prevented, its gravity may be greatly mitigated. In the 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 13 

case of children, I have shown how impairment in nutrition 
leads to acid excess with magnesium infiltration, pointing 
out at the same time the methods which modern science 
indicates may be employed for their correction. 

Incidentally, it may be remarked that an efficacious 
treatment might be outlined for practically all diseases, 
assuming, of course, that this line of medication is construc- 
tive, and as such follows and dovetails with the employ- 
ment of the antitoxins, the latest as well as the greatest 
achievement of medical science. Indeed, the antitoxin 
treatment often fails, because the acid excess of the tissues 
is overlooked or neglected as a factor which increases the 
severity of all diseases, acute and chronic. This is especially 
marked in cerebro-spinal meningitis, where the increasing 
acid reaction of the spinal fluid indicates the progress of 
the disease to a fatal issue. The same is also true of diph- 
theria, and even where recovery ensues, the patients experi- 
ence prolonged convalescence, owing to kidney and heart 
complications along with rheumatic symptoms — arising, of 
course, from the continued acid excess with consecutive 
magnesium infiltration. The so-called "typhoid spine" is 
another striking illustration, a wasting of one or more of 
the spinal vetebrse — in consequence of acid excess — a con- 
dition which is preventable and also curable. 

To promote recovery, there are two distinct indications 
— aside from maintaining the digestive capacity — as follows : 
To neutralize acid excess, determined by testing the saliva 
with blue litmus paper, or the skin, after moistening the 
paper, no laboratory tests being required, or necessary. 
The second indication is to supply the system with the 
needed lime salt which is demanded to restore the integrity 
of the cellular activities, reinforce wasting bone structures, 
or by means of dissociation, eliminate from the tissues any 
surplus magnesium salts — in accordance with the formula 
of Loew. 

Summary. — Magnesium infiltration, whether of the acute 
or chronic type, is an insidious ailment, because unseen, 
unrecognized, and persistently denied. It affects the 



14 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

infant in arms as well as the octogenarian, the factory- 
operative and the millionaire, the school boy and girl in 
their teens, the retired merchant and the woman at the 
climacteric, rich and poor alike — none escape its obsession, 
or fury. Appearing as an uninvited guest, although not 
without premonition, it strikes down its victim at the 
banquet table — lawyer, banker, and high church dignitary. 
It follows the manufacturer to his office, the mechanic to 
his daily task, the conductor to his train — then comes the 
"short-circuit" to complete the wreck. 

As showing its wide-spread and far-reaching influence, 
its untiring perseverance and relentlessness, it secures 
entrance to every sick room, to every hospital, to every 
sanitarium and gloats with apparent satisfaction and 
fiendish delight as its rapidly increasing army of recruits 
peer through the barred windows of our over-crowded 
asylums. 

Believing in a great law of compensation, I am inclined 
to be optimistic, even sympathetic, taking a less gloomy 
view of the outlook, because the evidence is overwhelmingly 
convincing as to the pathology, the causative factors are 
clear and distinct, while the success of the remedial measures 
has been repeatedly demonstrated. 

Most important of all, however, is the question of pre- 
vention. Will the evidence presented be sufficient to effect 
the necessary dietary reformation — at least for the rising 
generation? Shall history repeat itself, in the downfall of 
our country as a sequence of dereliction on the part of the 
medical profession, permitting the development of a pygmy 
race — nervous exotics — gelatinous, albuminous, but spine- 
less? Time, the universal arbiter, must decide whether the 
effort is in line with modern sociology, or its advocate a 
rare and misguided altrurian. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS— Continued. 

Susceptibility and Resistance (Immunity) — Nature of Infection — 
Age — Occupation — Diet — Environment — Heredity, Atavism, etc. — 
Galton's Law — "Mixed" Transmission — Mendel's Law — A Diathesis, 
Acquired and Chronic, or Constitutional — Conclusion. 

In the previous remarks an effort is made to indicate the 
broad lines upon which medical practice is now conducted, 
considered as an art and as a science; how it is related to, 
and dependent upon, both discovery and invention — with 
the object of developing a practical elucidation of the 
implied question, "Is magnesium infiltration a new disease?" 
Brief reference is also made to the physiologic basis, as 
shown by observation and research in health and disease; 
in short, the pathology, studying the function of cells and 
how they work under normal conditions — in respect to 
reactions, bringing forward at the same time a resume of 
the symptoms and causative factors in the production of 
disease, showing how and why they follow or attend certain 
deviations from health, and why magnesium infiltration is 
practically universal in all types, both acute and chronic. 
The significance and importance of the discovery is more 
fully elaborated in considering the various factors involved 
when disease invades the system, together with their bearing 
upon the vital activities, or vegetative function, during 
convalescence. In conclusion, a note of alarm is sounded, 
inasmuch as the continued failure to observe patent facts, 
or neglect to interpret them, foreshadows serious complica- 
tions in treatment, if they do not actually lessen resistance 
to infection, and thus, gradually, but certainly, promote or 
foster chronic invalidism. 

Susceptibility and Resistance. — Immunity is a relative 
term used to express the degree of susceptibility or resistance 
possessed by a living organism, animal or vegetable, against 
disease, the latter to include everything from the slightest 



16 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

disorder of function without appreciable lesion, to typhoid 
fever and diphtheria, both due to special bacterial invasion, 
as well as scarlet fever and smallpox, in which the precise 
nature of the infection is unknown. Immunity is secured 
by various means, such as an attack of disease, hereditary 
influence, the employment of antitoxins, or the intro- 
duction into the body of living or dead bacteria or their 
products. 

Normal resistance is an important factor — in health. It 
includes the so-called "protective agencies" which guard 
against the invasion as well as the harmful effects of bacteria 
after securing entrance to the body. Thus, certain leuco- 
cytes (white blood corpuscles), called phagocytes, ingest 
(digest), and destroy bacteria — called "phagocytosis;" 
antitoxins are normally produced through the activities of 
other leucocytes, this phenomenon being known as " leuco- 
cytosis." Both phagocytosis and leucocytosis represent the 
reaction, or the defensive ability of the system, but we 
also have bacteriolysins — substances which are formed 
within the body fluids by the union of two separate bodies 
■ — possessing the capacity for dissolving bacteria. Besides, 
we have real or genuine antiseptic substances in the blood 
serum and in the tissues, which hinder or restrain bacterial 
growth, first demonstrated more than a century and a half 
ago and referred to as John Hunter's "living principle." 
Finally, should be mentioned the protecting layers of epi- 
thelium, the cellular covering, both outside and inside the 
body. 

In general terms, the following proposition is warranted, 
whether viewed from the scientific or clinical viewpoint: 
Resistance to infection is the normal status of the human 
organism, while susceptibility to disease indicates a subnor- 
mal condition, one in which the cellular activities are sus- 
pended, hindered, or radically changed. It will fall within 
the province of this sketch to present concrete examples 
of the insidious influence of magnesium infiltration, not 
only in lessening resistance, but also the positive effects 
which follow in its train, through increased susceptibility. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 17 

Nature of Infection. — As a preliminary to this discussion, 
it will be the part of wisdom to state briefly the nature of 
infection, making a distinction between bacterial invasion 
and simple, or inflammatory reaction, since not all disorders 
arise from bacterial infection. For example, until quite 
recently, the vital statistics of Philadelphia showed a 
weekly average of one hundred cases of typhoid fever, or 
over five thousand cases annually, with an average mortality 
of ten per cent. That all the inhabitants were not affected 
was due to the normal resistance, constant exposure from 
drinking the polluted water having established a " tolerance. " 
In other words, so long as a normal health standard is 
maintained, the various protective agencies of the body are 
sufficient to prevent infection — long continued, a degree of 
immunity might be produced, similar to that which follows 
an attack of the disease. Still, typhoid subjects are not 
free from danger, since it has been found that they may 
become active disseminators or carriers of the disease, the 
infection being found in vast numbers in the stools and 
urine — even for many years after the attack. A "contact" 
disease, the infection must invade certain glands (Peyer's 
patches), situated in the small intestine, where they multiply 
with great rapidity, causing the "fever." 

In the case of diphtheria, the infection finds lodgment 
in the mucous membrane of the throat, although it may 
invade the system through an abraded surface — the skin as 
well as the mucous tissues. In tuberculosis, the germ may 
find a suitable nidus for its development at almost any 
point, even bone-structure not being exempt, thus differing 
materially from both typhoid fever and diphtheria, although 
all bacteria are fungus growths (vegetable), and belong to 
the same order — schizomycetes. Thus, the warfare against 
infection is between a low grade of vegetable microorganisms 
and highly specialized animal tissue composed of organized 
cells, possessing all the properties and functions of life — 
nutrition, excretion, motility, reproduction and response to 
stimuli. Infection, therefore, differs from simple inflam- 
matory reaction, due to defective oxidation and failure in 
2 



18 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

elimination, which not only lessen resistance and augment 
susceptibility, but the attending phenomena give rise to 
reversion in cell function — through the irritation set up — 
leading to every possible variety of disorder, functional and 
organic. Moreover, the two overlap, resulting in extremely 
complex and obscure complications. Following up this line 
of inquiry would involve a study of symbiosis, psychology 
and synesthesia, at present, almost a trackless waste, although 
it gives promise of rich rewards to future explorers. 

Bearing in mind that bacterial infection is specific (patho- 
genetic), that "disease" as a result of inflammatory reac- 
tion, is substantially, a decomposition, we are prompted — 
stimulated — in our efforts to discover, if possible, the cause 
of the cause of all deviations from normal, to be found in 
the writer's opinion, as a result of defective assimilation, 
and modified both directly and indirectly by age, occupa- 
tion, diet and environment. 

Age. — The trite observation that age is a factor in securing 
or producing immunity, is particularly appropriate in con- 
nection with the study of magnesium infiltration. Indeed, it 
is here that we observe the most practical demonstrations, 
and besides, with the illustrations and evidences brought 
about through medical treatment, the possibility of mere 
coincidence is barred. Thus, during infancy and early 
childhood, when tissue change is active, not only is the 
mortality exceptionally high, but convalescence is pro- 
longed, and not infrequently, the child is crippled for life 
through failure in the treatment — discharges from the ear 
and heart complications after scarlet fever, suppurating 
glands and paralyses after diphtheria, hydrocephalus (water 
on the brain), or deformity from failure in nutrition, after 
cholera infantum — nearly all of them preventable, because 
most of them are susceptible of cure by the judicious 
employment of the lime salts in conjunction with medica- 
tion demanded for the correction of abnormal reactions. In 
adult life we have typhoid fever, rheumatism, pneumonia 
and their sequelae, together with kidney and liver disorders 
and heart diseases, but more special mention should be 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 19 

made of nervous disorders, all traceable to deviations from 
normal, disturbances in the reactions being responsible for 
their persistence — as well as for their appearance — because 
correction of abnormal reactions with the consecutive 
elimination of factitious inorganic proximate principles 
affords immediate amelioration of the most forbidding 
symptoms, even when a cure is beyond the domain of 
medical skill. Nowhere is this claim more specifically 
demonstrated than in the treatment of arterio-sclerosis, or 
hardening of the arteries, when the subject is advanced in 
years, or as frequently happens (occurs), when the patient 
is prematurely aged, as a result of defective secondary 
assimilation. The coincident neurasthenic manifestations 
alone are actively treated, while efforts to antidote or 
secure elimination of inorganic irritants are of the most 
perfunctory character, potassium iodide being the only 
recognized "alterative." 

Age is thus shown to stand as a preeminent factor both 
in diminishing resistance and increasing susceptibility to 
disease, although it will be apparent even to the most casual 
reader, that the subject of magnesium infiltration is really, 
a problem in nutrition. 

Occupation. — As an exciting factor in developing a sus- 
ceptibility to disease, of course, occupation cannot be over- 
looked, but with our knowledge relating to the phenomena 
governing reactions, together with the known adaptability 
of man as regards diet, climate and environment, this is of 
secondary importance. For example, within comparatively 
recent years it was considered unsafe to make a lengthy 
sea voyage, owing to the danger of scurvy and typhus 
fever, although we now know that the former is in fact an 
inflammatory reaction arising from unsuitable food — rever- 
sion in cell function following disturbances in the reactions 
— while the latter is due to a specific bacterial infection, 
which can be eradicated by improved sanitation — so that 
the occupation of a sailor is not hazardous, except as regards 
accidents. There are, however, certain features connected 
with various occupations which lessen resistance and 



20 THE CHE MIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

augment susceptibility, either through lack of proper ventil- 
ation, such as silk mills, cotton factories and department 
stores, or because of the dust and fumes in the atmos- 
phere, cutlery shops, marble works, chemic laboratories 
and notably match factories. Still, there is practically no 
occupation without its drawbacks, even lawyers, ministers, 
teachers and bankers being constantly exposed to infection 
through atmospheric influences. To counteract occupa- 
tional disorders, we must learn the primary defects or 
tendency of the organism, and endeavor as far as possible 
to restore the physiologic equilibrium, the maintenance of 
which will contribute materially toward the promotion 
of nutrition. Thus, in the case of workers exposed to 
inclement weather and sudden changes of temperature, we 
have complaints of subacute and chronic rheumatism, 
lumbago, sciatica, neuralgia and neuritis, due to the acid 
excess developed as a result of interference with the cellular 
activities and the consecutive magnesium infiltration. 
Again, lawyers, bankers, teachers and all others engaged 
in sedentary occupations are frequently, if not usually, 
more or less debilitated, at least they are not robust, in 
consequence of defective oxidation, through lack of sufficient 
out-door exercise, thus increasing susceptibility to inflam- 
matory reaction incident to general impairment of the 
nutrition. Eventually, there is more or less "nervousness" 
set up, with insomnia and inability to coordinate ideas, and 
a general feeling of malaise supervenes — for which tonics 
and rest and vacations are recommended — in vain, because, 
while nature is constructive and eminently conservative, 
she draws the line at consummate folly. 

The rapidly increasing number of sanitaria and rest 
cures throughout the country must be regarded as evi- 
dences of the inefficiency of medical treatment, showing 
beyond peradventure that the profession has neglected or 
failed to employ the resources at hand. Our pressing need 
at the present time is a digest or medical concordance with 
a modern search-light, so that "he who runs may read." 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 21 

In these days, the spirit of rivalry is confined almost exclu- 
sively to bacteriologic investigation. 

Diet. — The subject of dietetics has, indeed, passed through 
many vicissitudes, and should we take heed of the faddists, 
the entire culinary superstructure would be demolished and 
rebuilt on different lines — although modern teaching is 
so variable and kaleidoscopic that we are confronted with a 
veritable babel. That diet is an important factor in main- 
taining health and promoting longevity is unquestioned; 
that it modifies nutrition, by augmenting or diminishing 
susceptibility to infection, has long been recognized; and 
that it requires a knowledge of physiologic chemistry as 
well as definite information relating to pathology is a patent 
fact; but the vagaries of pseudo-authorities are amusing 
rather than ridiculous, while ex cathedra enunciations are, 
many of them, ludicrous in the extreme, by reason of imprac- 
ticability. As a consequence, the masses are guided by the 
glowing prospectuses which elaborate utterly impossible 
benefits arising from the daily employment of highly superior 
(?) laboratory products, the best that can be said of them 
by disinterested critics being that they represent the refine- 
ment of cruelty in modern civilization, all of which should 
be taken, cum grano satis. 

While biblical teachings are mainly figurative, we fre- 
quently find intelligent but misguided people showing a 
persistent tendency to demand literal translation — to 
support a hobby or illustrate a theory. "Give milk unto 
children and wine unto him who is ready to perish," is no 
more an endorsement of alcoholic stimulants than the 
belief that wearing rubber boots is a divine command, 
because a logical deduction, from the description of Canaan, 
"A land flowing with milk and honey." 

As showing how diet affects health, let us take simple, 
easily understood illustrations. Here is a child convalescent 
from some more or less severe bowel trouble; it is given a 
banana to eat and in the course of twelve to twenty-four 
hours there is pain, restlessness, and perhaps fever — because 
the impaired digestion with acid excess interferes with the 



22 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

normal assimilation, leaving the lime and magnesium to 
combine with the friendly organic banana, forming a sand 
deposit. A similar result follows the ingestion of certain 
fruits, strawberries and raspberries, after typhoid and other 
wasting diseases, notably tuberculosis and uric acid diathesis, 
in consequence of the disassimilation and the tendency of 
the seeds to "gather" the surplus inorganic substances — 
furnishing an elementary lesson in magnesium infiltration. 
Again, these various conditions might set up active inflam- 
mation, requiring operative interference, owing to symptoms 
of appendicitis, a malady which still retains its popularity. 

But even without the bananas and the fruit seeds and 
the uric acid, we may have involvement of the delicate 
nerve mechanism as a result of intestinal acidity, or fermen- 
tation, leading to inflammatory reaction — and operation. 
In such cases the liver is debilitated and inactive, its nerve 
mechanism being similarly affected; there is intestinal 
decomposition as well as fermentation, and patients com- 
plain of a metallic, sometimes a putrid taste in the mouth — 
due to reabsorption of bile, thus furnishing a rather complex 
illustration of magnesium infiltration. Other conditions 
of like character will serve to emphasize its various possi- 
bilities — arising from excessive acidity — such as neuralgia 
and neuritis, the former occurring spasmodically, the 
latter practically constant, both due to an electro-plating 
process, which interferes with the transmission of nerve 
impulses. 

As previously pointed out, the inorganic deposits enact 
the role of a resistance coil, inhibiting the electric current, 
the motor for nerve transmission. This is well illustrated 
in the case of recovery from ptomain poisoning, the pro- 
nounced heart weakness being due to reversion in cell 
function with rapid accumulation of acid — an acidemia — in 
which the blood is surcharged with acid, promptly alleviated 
by the administration of suitable alkalies. 

In this connection should be mentioned the immediate 
and marked effect of "red" meats, containing so-called 
"purin" bodies, conspicuous as a factor in aggravating 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 23 

lithemia and gout, and likewise, the unrelenting enemy of 
sedentary workers after fifty years of age. 

So far, diet has been considered from the viewpoint of 
the indigestions, with operations and chemic antidotes 
on the side, as alternatives, but there is another perspective 
which should be brought into view, since, after all, diet 
is more a matter of form than of substance. However, our 
inquiry relates only to the diet question in its relation to 
magnesium infiltration. That popular notions are falla- 
cious is well illustrated in the case of children, where sick- 
ness is the rule rather than the exception, owing to unsuitable 
diet, and yet parents think cereals and other "sloppy" 
foods are the ne plus ultra, all animal foods being inter- 
dicted. Others, again, insist that the secret of health and 
long life lies in thorough mastication, but how shall we 
reconcile these teachings, which lead to a reductio ad 
ahsurdumf In adult life, the folly is constantly apparent 
— in diminished resistance, augmented susceptibility and 
general lack of vitality — because of the ever-present intes- 
tinal indigestion — while in advanced age the symptoms are 
emphasized. The characteristic symptoms in such cases 
are more fully outlined later on in this section. 

Environment. — The American term "surroundings" is 
better understood in this country than the French equiva- 
lent. Its influence upon immunity is so great, indeed, that 
for generations, practically all its untoward effects were 
grouped in connection with heredity, and it is but recently 
that we recognize a wide gulf separating the two. And here, 
the question is pertinent — How can we demonstrate where 
environment ends and heredity begins? For example, 
observation shows that normal and healthy individuals, 
children as well as adults, when exposed to a life such as 
led by slum-dwellers, quickly succumb to the insanitary 
surroundings, since they are more readily susceptible to 
the local influences. A similar change, called acclimati- 
zation, occurs when a person changes his habitation, but 
all agree that improved sanitation is the prime factor, all 
others being more or less superserviceable. Tuberculosis, 



24 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

long regarded as hereditary, is now recognized as "con- 
tactuous," the infection being brought into contact with a 
suitable soil for its growth and multiplication — and usually 
the victim is in a debilitated condition, as otherwise this 
vegetable fungus would fail to reproduce itself. In other 
words, the environment has diminished resistance and 
increased susceptibility to the point where a "decline" has 
set in, a wasting or consumption of the tissues confronts us, 
and thus we have the ground plan, really, the "blue print" 
of tuberculosis — an infection engrafted upon a wasting 
disease, one which could not have occurred except through 
the medium of "surroundings" or environment. 

Sanitation is brought prominently to the fore — as the 
keystone of the arch — but it is not the structure itself, as 
taught by recent misguided enthusiasts, who should know 
better. It will not cure tuberculosis or diphtheria, nor 
typhoid or scarlet fever, because the causative factors are 
overlooked — the debility and wasting which lessen resistance 
and increase susceptibility — insidious factors which arise 
from defective assimilation incident to the disturbances in 
structure and function of the cells, with the consecutive 
magnesium infiltration. Thus, at least in the case of tuber- 
culosis, we see, as through a "glass darkly," that the cause 
of the cause of infection is overlooked, neglected, submerged 
as it were, through the high rating given to environment — 
with a superabundance of milk and eggs on the side. 

Substantially, the same conditions obtain in general 
debility, neurasthenia, premature senility and insanity, 
apparently all due to environment, although on the con- 
trary, their development may be traced directly to the 
disturbances in the cellular activities attending the so-called 
indigestions. 

Unfortunately, such patients are usually "hypped" and 
refuse treatment unless the diagnosis conforms with their 
own conception of pathology. When recovery follows medi- 
cation, it is not the exception to have the patient make a 
discriminating admission that while diagnosis was defective, 
the treatment was successful, a further proof of the claim 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 25 

advanced that we have to deal with a derangement of function 
ante-dating the well known frank manifestations of disease. 
A person's surroundings, in most instances, exercise an im- 
portant influence upon convalescence as well as invasion, 
a pointer for our friends, the psychologists, but with cor- 
rection of abnormal reactions and dissociation of magnesium 
deposits by chemic agencies, there is no demand for pro- 
longed observation, with change of climate and rest, 
continued and repeated. Environment, therefore, is prin- 
cipally an incidental rather than an exciting factor as regards 
immunity, secondary to diet, occupation and age, but 
closely related to psychology, the connection being more 
apparent than real, however, when studied from the stand- 
point of physiologic chemistry. It is the "brake" on civili- 
zation, the material force which hinders or impedes progress 
in nations as well as in communities, because it interposes 
barriers and checks individual development. 

Heredity, Atavism, etc. — In general, heredity and atavism 
are names or terms applied to certain characteristics in the 
form of physical or mental deviations from normal which 
descend from parents to children, the former when the trans- 
mission is direct, as from father or mother to son or daughter, 
the latter when the peculiarity "skips" one or more gener- 
ations. Heredity is usually obvious and apparent, while 
atavism, being termed a "survival," is frequently difficult 
to trace. Thus, "ethnographers attribute to atavism num- 
erous moral delinquencies such as lawyers charge to a 
criminal disposition," the Jukes family genealogy being cited 
as an emphatic illustration. The heritage of spangles and 
tights is said to be guarded with "the jealous care of a 
royal genealogy," so that the leading circus performers can 
be included in thirty families, tracing their lineage in some 
instances more than two centuries. Apparently, the thrill 
of the sawdust ring has got into the blood. 

Unless heredity is a pronounced factor, however, much 
can be done to correct or overcome a predisposition, while 
the characteristics dependent upon atavism are both 
inherent and personal and almost ineradicable; but much 



26 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

may be accomplished in both cases through judicious over- 
sight and training during infancy and adolescence, provided 
always that proper care is observed in promoting harmonious 
physical growth and mental development under normal 
conditions as indicated by studying the reactions. As a 
matter of fact, it is a safe prophecy that in the near future, 
this question will take on increasing significance in all 
discussions upon psychology, because magnesium infiltra- 
tion is so intimately related to nerve conduction that its 
importance can not much longer be overlooked. How far, 
or to what extent, this abnormal condition is responsible 
for the transmission of peculiar traits is beyond the scope 
of this work to discuss, but the rapidly increasing number of 
"nervous" children whose parents are "shining examples" 
of the disorder lends color to the supposition that in this 
direction lies the indication for exploration intended to 
discover the "missing link" between health and disease 
— the line of demarcation between the normal and the 
abnormal. 

Many cases of degeneracy are directly traceable to mag- 
nesium infiltration, the following being a case in point, 
that of a young man who "slew to feed a mad vanity." 

"In his confession he revealed a career of almost life-long 
crime. Following a blow on his head while he was a small boy 
in his native town, he said he began to steal. At the age of 
nine he rifled the pockets of his school-mates and robbed his 
parents of small sums. Later, while still a youth, he held up 
young women on the highway and entered houses. He spent 
some time on a naval training ship and then travelled about 
the country, his thefts covering a wide range of territory. By 
engaging in legitimate occupations by day, he always escaped 
detection. . . . 

11 ' I can't tell why I do these things/ he said in a tone of semi- 
desperation. 'Why, I used to get up in the night, dress, and 
leave the house unknown to anyone, carry out some quickly 
conceived plan and return to bed.' 

" He has never failed to greet his mother with a kiss, and the 
affection between him and his sister was apparent." 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 27 

Galton's Law. — Galton's law is briefly stated by E. T. 
Brewster, as follows: 

"That of the total inheritance of any living being, plant, 
animal or man, each parent has contributed a quarter, each of 
the four grandparents a sixteenth, each of the eight great grand- 
parents a sixty-fourth and so on; while the influence of each 
generation is just equal to that of all the generations that have 
preceded it." 

In the case of cancer we shall have in the near future 
a remarkable illustration of certain peculiar features or 
facts, relating to hereditary transmission. For example, 
while cancer "runs" in families, there is evidence accumu- 
lating to warrant a belief in its cellular transmission, since 
these abnormal growths follow their predecessors by devel- 
oping within the same tissues. Thus, epithelioma, or cancer 
of the skin, does not follow cancer of the stomach, liver, or 
any other internal organ, and vice versa. But cancerous 
growths affecting the skin do not appear early in life, and 
moreover, they are accompanied by various systemic 
physical changes and chemic abnormalities which are 
amenable to treatment, when the malignant character of 
the growth subsides. Indeed, the outlook indicates that 
under normal reactions cancerous growths will not develop 
at all. Laboratory findings show that cancer is not con- 
tagious, that it is transmitted only by contact under 
certain restrictions, and that in a large percentage of cases 
artificially produced in mice by inoculation, spontaneous 
recovery ensues, while at least forty per cent, of the animals 
inoculated prove resistant. Why such a large percentage 
are not susceptible, and why one-third of those attacked 
escape its malignancy, making perfect recovery, are ques- 
tions still unsettled, but inasmuch as these laboratory 
experiments have failed to consider the physical and chemic 
status of the reactions in cancer, it is not too much to 
assume that here may be found an illuminating factor of 
more than ordinary significance. 



28 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

"Mixed" transmission is frequently observed in heredity 
and atavism, especially noticeable in the case of alcoholism, 
so much so as to lead investigators to claim that alcoholism 
itself is a disease, but with our knowledge relating to the 
physiologic effects of alcohol upon living tissue, coupled 
with the insidious action of magnesium deposits in obtunding 
nervous sensibility, the obscurity and mystery which have 
so long enveloped this question are likely to be cleared up. 
By way of illustration, the nervous system may be com- 
pared to a spider's web. When the fibers are broken or 
become disarranged, the movements of the spider are 
hindered or obstructed, but not seriously embarrassed, 
since he can go around the obstacle. So, in alcoholism, 
certain organs or tissues are liable to become insulated 
through a hardening process which affects the nerve supply 
— as a resultant of alcohol with consecutive magnesium 
infiltration — compensation being secured by a more or. less 
complete collateral innervation. However, a collateral nerve 
supply under such conditions is necessarily imperfect, from 
the fact that we have to deal with a local manifestation 
of constitutional derangement. Brain disorders, functional 
diseases of the heart, kidney and liver diseases together with 
all spinal affections come within this category. 

In this connection, it seems the part of wisdom to suggest 
the probable relation of magnesium infiltration to insanity 
as well as to mental defectives and degenerates, the warrant 
for this recommendation being based upon the brilliant 
clinical results attending the treatment of ordinary "ner- 
vousness" and well marked cases of neurasthenia. 

And here should be mentioned the interesting investiga- 
tions of Merzbacher, who has traced family records through 
successive generations — varying from three to seven — 
indicating that certain familiar diseases of the central 
nervous system are undoubtedly transmitted. Apparently, 
there is a "mixed" transmission, since the same malady 
does not appear in related families, and moreover, while 
progressive in character, a disease peculiar to a family 
would disappear completely for a generation, reappearing 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 29 

in the next. An important deduction arising from this 
inquiry relates to the predominating influence of the mother 
in transmitting a tendency towards disease or health, and 
the following conclusions are advanced 

1. The rudiments of a defect or a disease may descend by 
heredity, but remain latent in the system without giving any 
evidence of its presence through several generations. 

2. When such latent tendencies are present in the father, 
they are not inherited by the children, . . . although a 
latent tendency might be inherited by his daughter and appear 
actively developed in her children, but the children of the man's 
son would not inherit it. 

3. The mother's influence is stronger (than the father's), 
and she may transmit a defect or disease that is latent or 
active in her own system; or if she has no such tendency, she 
may overcome any influence of that sort on the father's side. 

4. When a disease of this character becomes established in 
a family, it shows great stability in its development. 

Whether my presentation of this subject be accepted or 
rejected, no one today is in a position to successfully con- 
tradict the logical deductions, either from a theoretical 
standpoint, or from clinical observation, and besides, there 
is cumulative evidence at every turn, notably with reference 
to our teachings upon diathesis. 

Mendel's Law. — Mendel's law aims to develop heredity 
upon a scientific basis — by showing that vigor and virtue 
are dominant factors, while vice and weakness are recessive. 
In other words, dominant factors or traits are persistent 
while defective traits show a tendency to recede or disap- 
pear, this theory being confirmed (?) by statistics — the 
mating of defectives is always characterized by a downward 
course in the offspring. Undoubtedly, a consideration of 
the chemic factor would lead to more definite and greater 
reliability in these calculations. 

A Diathesis. — The term diathesis is employed in medicine 
to indicate a personal susceptibility to disease, such as 
gout, calculus, uric acid and diabetes, and may be acquired 



30 THE CHE MIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

or constitutional (hereditary). Certain persons known as 
"bleeders/' suffer from hemorrhagic diathesis, and conse- 
quently are not suitable subjects for surgical operations. 
The personal disposition in certain families to apoplexy has 
even been claimed to indicate a diathesis or hereditary 
tendency, but in view of the fact that we have its exact 
counterpart without evidences of transmission is a serious 
obstacle in these days of scientific inquiry. There is a 
maxim to the effect that a disease which is curable is likewise 
preventable, and it requires no stretch of the imagination 
to believe the diathetic disorders preventable, because all 
those just mentioned are curable — by neutralizing the acid 
excess which gives rise to their appearance, thus restoring 
to normal the cellular activities. 

It appears almost incredible that so much study has 
been given to dietetics without further advancing in the 
line of practical adaptation of means to ends. In other 
words, the excitement incident to determine the demands 
of the system as regards the amounts and relative pro- 
portions of proteids, fats, and carbohydrates has obscured 
the vision in respect to the pivotal factor, assimilation, 
and as a result, the treatment of disease, and especially 
diathetic disease, partakes more of mechanic ability than it 
serves to demonstrate physiologic skill. And, in addition 
to this, the diathetic diseases require at least a passing 
acquaintance with physiologic chemistry, to the end that 
progressive changes may be arrested, as in gout, lithemia, 
neurasthenia, diabetes, etc. 

While it is true that numerous disorders of adult life and 
advanced age are foreshadowed by the character of the 
ailments which prevail in childhood and adolescence, it is 
nevertheless true that these tendencies do not properly 
belong to either period — or they would be universally preva- 
lent. Hence, as previously stated, the folly of dietetic 
vagaries is apparent in adult life, while in advanced age, 
the symptoms are emphasized. 

Within the past twenty years statistics show that certain 
diseases, diathetic in character, have gradually increased, 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 31 

notably cancer, neurasthenia and insanity, and it is not 
beyond the range of possibility, in fact it is quite probable, 
that the prevalence of influenza, with its characteristic 
physical and mental depression, may be responsible. Grant- 
ing the supposition, which is now a well founded belief, 
would but strengthen the claims so far advanced, since the 
characteristic physical and mental depression which follow 
in the wake of influenza are due to magnesium infiltration — 
and disappear when the abnormal chemic combinations 
are displaced (dissolved), by the administration of lime 
salts in excess, to promote dissociation. 

The human organism is a microcosm, a little world in 
itself, and possesses in miniature and in gross all the attri- 
butes and properties of the protoplasmic cells of which it is 
composed — nutrition, excretion, reproduction, motility, and 
response to stimuli. Considered either as a physiologic 
aggregation or a complex mechanic contrivance, its con- 
tinuous operation is necessarily attended with accidents 
which create friction and give rise to defects, and like all 
things terrestrial, it has its limitations. It differs from the. 
"One Hoss Shay," in that it gives out one part at a time. 
The truth is, that there is a constant tendency towards 
crystallization, due to osmotic pressure and to the presence 
of inorganic proximate principles, the mineral substances. 
In this there is a striking similarity to the mineral kingdom, 
in which we find diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones, 
and in the treatment of disease this ultimate transformation 
cannot be overlooked or disregarded. 

A word in regard to osmotjc pressure, a constant and 
potent factor in physiology, and an essential element in 
producing artificial segmentation in certain low forms of 
animal life — without fertilization. We may obtain a slight 
idea of its character by holding a sea-shell to the ear, although 
the demonstration affords but little information concerning 
its significance or importance to the animal economy. 

Conclusion. — Finally, it should be stated that it is the 
function of the clinician to interpret and to formulate 
methods of treatment. Plotting the early deviations from 



32 THE CHEMIC PROBLEM IN NUTRITION 

normal as well as the later symptoms of magnesium infil- 
tration in various diseases, with observations extending 
over many years, the possibility of error or mere coincidence 
is excluded — these claims being confirmed by the records of 
experimental research, physiologic and chemic In short, the 
subject of magnesium infiltration is no longer an academic 
question, but a concrete, demonstrable factor in practically 
all types of disease, acute and chronic, functional and organic. 
In recent years, the general practitioner has lost caste, 
owing to the achievements of the surgeon, and his inability 
to cope successfully with the various obscure nervous con- 
ditions — concomitant factors of our modern civilization, 
these cases gradually drifting into the hands of outsiders 
who decry drugs, claiming that such patients require no 
"material assistance/' This unfortunate state of affairs 
has developed coincidently with the vacillating nature of 
the numerous unfounded claims set up, coupled with the 
arbitrary condemnation — without hearing — of any and all 
investigators whose teachings are not in accord with tradition. 
Paraphrasing the criticisms of the religious press on Presi- 
dent Eliot's scheme for an universal religion, with "banish- 
ment of the supernatural," it is not too much to say that 
medical practice at present is obscured by the "fog of 
uncertainty, the mist of unreliability, and the clouds of 
instability. " And yet there is nothing supernatural in 
medical science, notwithstanding the notable achievements 
of the psychologist, and moreover, there is neither excuse 
nor reason for the apparent mystery relating to health 
maintenance. Our teachings are biased and dwarfed through 
the observance of, and reliance upon, tradition. A multi- 
plicity of schemes have been launched from time to time 
by ambitious enthusiasts, to the discredit of medical science; 
even the profession as a body has frequently pursued an 
ignus fatuus, endangering the life and health ot the public, 
but the time has arrived when our recommendations must 
have the support of reason, confirmed by scientific demon- 
stration, such as here outlined, excluding the narrow, 
bigoted, ex cathedra pronouncements of so-called leaders. 



DISORDERS OF NUTRITION. 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME. 

The Milk in the Cocoanut — A Malady Easily Recognized — Physi- 
ology and Pathology — The Blood and Protoplasm — Organic and 
Functional Disorders — Red and White Corpuscles — Blood Plasma — 
Hemoglobin and Derivatives — Aeration and Ventilation — An Apoth- 
eosis of Medicalism — Respiratory Function of the Tissues — Diminished 
Alkalescence — Edison's Work on Colloids — Transient Effects of 
Electricity — Electro-plating from Magnesium Oxide — The Problem 
in Nutrition — Mass Action. 

To advance the claim that all disorders of the circulation, 
such as arterio-sclerosis, Raynaud's disease, aneurysm, 
angina pectoris and paralysis, are due either directly or 
indirectly to magnesium infiltration, would seem incredible 
in the extreme. The addition of nervous diseases to the 
category — vomiting of pregnancy, neuritis, neuralgia, neuras- 
thenia, hysteria, and even insanity — will be regarded as 
radical claims. But pathology has not yet demonstrated 
any definite and substantial basis for these latter deviations 
from normal which brings them within the domain of the 
clinician and amenable to therapeutic art. While a post- 
mortem shows how and why strychnine and digitalis and 
aconite cause sudden death, in the case of heart failure — 
so-called — the pathologic findings are nil; and we have no 
fundamental remedial measures to arrest or cure arterio- 
sclerosis — which is now regarded as a progressive disease, 
inevitably fatal. All nervous disorders are treated between 
the two extremes indicated by "rest" and "exercise," and 
includes drugs, electricity, baths and massage — frequently 
with Christian science, psycho-therapy, mental healing and 
3 



34 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

osteopathy on the side, but certainty as to the outcome is 
conspicuous by its absence — the causative factor having 
been overlooked, or neglected. 

The Milk in the Cocoanut. — A statement to the effect that 
most disorders of nutrition — gastro-intestinal catarrh, the 
indigestions along with ''summer complaint" of children, 
are due to magnesium infiltration, would doubtless be more 
favorably received, inasmuch as there is a direct relation 
between indigestion and the magnesium salts contained in 
the various food-stuffs. In other instances mentioned, the 
deductions, to the general practitioner, are inexplicable — 
they cannot understand how the milk gets into the cocoanut. 
In preparing this sketch, therefore, it seems wise and expe- 
dient to develop the underlying, fundamental principles 
with sufficient technical detail from both the clinical and 
scientific viewpoints to enable the physician as well as the 
non-technical reader to verify the conclusions by observa- 
tion, while the physiologic chemist undertakes a laboratory 
demonstration. 

The writer is encouraged, or prompted — not impelled — 
to adopt the above course with the object of securing at 
least a moderate degree of uniformity in the line of treat- 
ment — first, for the purpose of verification, and second, as 
a means of comparison. Thus, we shall avoid the unkind 
(?) criticisms, such as Murphy sarcastically hurled at his 
confreres who pretended to treat so-called ''general peri- 
tonitis;" one urged opiates, another catharsis; one gave 
fluid by the mouth, another by hypodermoclysis, and a 
third none at all; one elevated the foot of the bed, "to 
promote absorption," and another set his patient up, "to 
retard it." However, some one must blaze the way, but 
when the trail is struck and the field once fairly opened, 
cultivation will be rapid and thorough — the laborers plenty 
and the harvest abundant. 

A Malady Easily Recognized. — Although the definition 
seems technical, it is descriptive and comprehensive, certain 
well known tests being sufficient to confirm the diagnosis. 

Rarely is this diathesis mistaken for calcific metamor- 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 35 

phosis, the symptoms subjective and objective, being well 
marked and easily recognized. Still, magnesium infiltration 
so deranges the cellular activities that the victim becomes 
prematurely aged, showing also the well known senile 
changes characteristic of calcareous degeneration — giving 
the symptom-complex. It is a constant factor in all diseases, 
both acute and chronic, the chief characteristic or symptom 
being erethism, but may be studied to best advantage in 
chronic cases, allowing the observer ample time to note the 
effects of medication — without danger to the patient — most 
physicians being averse to experimental investigation — 
although Dubois says the only difference between veterin- 
arians and physicians is in their clientele. 

Physiology and Pathology. — Analysis coupled with syn- 
thesis is not only convenient, but offers the most practical 
method available for developing both the physiology and 
pathology of the morbid complexus designated magnesium 
infiltration. 

The Blood and Protoplasm. — A preliminary examination of 
the blood and the protoplasm as to their composition and 
functions will serve to elucidate the various questions likely 
to arise when deviations from normal are considered. 

Normal blood is a red fluid, alkaline in reaction and has a 
salty (saline) taste, the specific gravity being 1.055, slightly 
heavier than water. The alkalinity is diminished in all 
chronic diseases, such as rheumatism, gout, migrain, tuber- 
culosis, and notably in diabetes melhtus, where it ranges 
from 30 to 50 per cent, below normal, thus lessening oxida- 
tion, the oxygen-carrying capacity being correspondingly 
decreased. Diet is also an important factor, a diet deficient 
in the alkaline mineral matters, or one largely confined to 
proteids, leading to diminished alkalescence, impairment in 
nerve force, susceptibility to acute diseases with fingering 
convalescence, and in advanced age, the symptoms of gen- 
eral debility. For the most part, however, these effects and 
symptoms are merely the result of impairment in the cellular 
activities, the diminished alkalescence, with its concomitant, 
suboxidation, having favored development of the magnesium 



36 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

diathesis — by or through which the normal metabolic changes 
are hindered. 

Organic and Functional Disorders. — Although varying in 
degree in the different organs, the tissues are normally alka- 
line, so that an abnormal reaction of the body fluids tends to 
interfere with function, and may eventually lead to localized 
death of the tissues, usually referred to as organic disease. 
Thus, magnesium affecting the brain structures as a result 
of simple acid excess may be only sufficient to create slight 
nervous irritability in the young adult, while the same condi- 
tion in a man over fifty years of age, or a woman at the 
climacteric, would most likely lead to a "nervous break- 
down." But such manifestations, especially among men and 
women who occupy positions of trust and responsibility, or 
who are brought into the lime-light by reason of their political 
prominence, their accomplishments in literature, science and 
art, or their achievements as philanthropists, inventors or 
financiers, are of such common, everyday occurrence that we 
have come to regard them as providential. In truth, our 
vaunted twentieth century civilization is in such close 
proximity to the line of demarcation between heathen 
fatalism and bacteriologic fanaticism that the situation is 
precarious. 

In addition to the derangements of function coupled with 
organic changes, as a result of magnesium infiltration affect- 
ing adults, brief reference should be made here to the frequent 
manifestations of this diathesis in children, even before 
they are able to walk. As a class, they are characterized 
by more or less pronounced erethism, and when school 
duties are imposed upon them the absence of physiologic 
equilibrium is usually well marked. And besides abnormal 
mental activity, we generally find various physical defects — 
spinal deviations along with chest deformities, and notably 
abnormalities of the pedal extremities — twisted heels, flat- 
foot, w T ith inward or outward pointing — all of which may 
be traced to deficiency of alkalinity in the blood, with the 
consecutive magnesium infiltration. 

A careful study of the blood itself will doubtless put the 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 37 

reader in a more favorable position to appreciate the impor- 
tance as well as the advantages arising from investigations 
which aim to overcome, correct, or obviate the development 
of such conditions as above described. 

The blood represents one part to thirteen of the body 
weight. The fluid portion, called plasma, constitutes sixty 
per cent, of the whole, the remainder, forty per cent., 
representing the corpuscles, red and white. The blood 
plasma contains nearly ten per cent. (0.098) solids, composed 
of proteids, serum albumin, serum globulin, fibrinogen, 
together with various salts, sodium, potassium, calcium and 
magnesium — in combination with chlorine, phosphorus, and 
carbon dioxide, as chlorides, phosphates, and carbonates. 

The blood also contains urea, uric acid, fats, dextrose and 
cholesterin, the latter a monatomic alcohol, supposed to 
result from molecular changes in the nerve structures, per- 
haps because it is usually the nucleus of gall-stones, these 
concretions being found mostly in literary persons and 
those engaged in sedentary employment — teachers, authors, 
editors, bankers, lawyers, ministers and the like — a great 
majority of the cases being found in women, where dress 
evidently is a controlling factor. In health, the excretion 
of urea, through the kidneys, amounts to five hundred grains 
daily, approximately, the output of uric acid being ten grains 
or less, while in the case of uric acid diathesis, the propor- 
tions are reversed, due to diminished alkalinity, which 
interferes with oxidation. 

Red and White Corpuscles. — The red corpuscles are non- 
nucleated, elastic, biconcave discs, about one thirty-two 
hundreth of an inch in diameter, composed of water (69 
per cent.), with hemoglobin (29 per cent.), embedded in the 
stroma, several other proteids in small quantities, together 
with salts and extractives. It is their function to take up 
oxygen — which readily combines with hemoglobin to form 
oxyhemoglobin — in passing through the pulmonary appara- 
tus — carrying it to the minute arterial twigs (arterioles and 
capillary vessels), where the oxygen is exchanged for carbon 
dioxide — carbonic acid gas — a waste product. This is called 



38 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

the respiratory function of the tissues, a factor of paramount 
importance if we desire to maintain health and avoid the 
condition known as suboxidation. 

As compared with red, the white corpuscles (leucocytes), 
are less numerous and larger, although they vary in 
size, shape, composition, structure and function. They 
are nucleated masses of granular protoplasm, capable of 
ameboid movement, possessing certain peculiar, inherent, 
phagocytic properties, so that an examination of the blood 
under the microscope enables us to confirm diagnosis in 
complicated cases, or foreshadows favorable or unfavorable 
changes in serious diseases, such as diphtheria, typhoid 
fever and pneumonia, besides affording a wide range of 
information in all forms of disease. They are developed 
from the lymphatic tissues, also the spleen and bone marrow, 
and include large and small lymphocytes, transitional and 
polynuclear leucocytes, the latter being subdivided into 
three types, neutrophile, eosinophile and basophile, depending 
upon the reaction of their granules to certain stains. Myelo- 
cytes are large, pathologic cells partaking of the character 
of those just named, the relationship being determined by 
staining. 

Chemically, the leucocytes contain albumin, globulin, fat, 
glycogen, nuclein, a nucleo-proteid, and various salts, 
together with a mother-body of the fibrin ferment, the latter 
enacting a special role in producing coagulation of the blood. 
Thus, in the case of superficial bleeding, as soon as the blood 
is exposed to the air, the mother ferment is liberated — by 
disintegration of the leucocytes — and combines with the 
fibrinogen to form fibrin, producing a "clot." A similar 
action may take place in the tissues, in the brain or any 
of the organs, giving rise to a "tumor." The hemorrhage 
may lead to "simple" inflammation; in case bacteria gain 
access to it, "infective" inflammation occurs, with marked 
constitutional reaction. 

The inner coat of the blood vessels (intima), is also believed 
to possess some peculiar influence in preventing coagulation, 
although it has been shown that certain constitutional 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 39 

states have an inhibitory action — low temperature, carbon 
dioxide in excess, death from lightning and hemophilia, or 
"bleeder's" disease. Certain foreign substances, when intro- 
duced into the system, also have this effect, such as leech 
extract, oxalates, neutral salts in excess, and the same is 
true of proteoses and peptones, whether employed hypo- 
dermically or escaping into the circulation as a result of 
digestive insufficiency. 

Nuclein is believed to possess ferment properties, acting 
as an antiseptic and supplying nutritive pabulum — it 
increases the functional activity as well as the physical 
energies of the protoplasmic cells. It is referred to as "the 
chief of the defensive proteids," substances which confer 
immunity from disease. 

An important function of the blood is to equalize the body 
temperature, heat being generated by glandular and mus- 
cular activity and regulated by a supposititious thermic 
centre in the brain. Further, the blood carries nutrient 
material, notably proteids and salts for the upbuilding of 
the tissues, involving a chemic and physiologic change, and 
at the same time, converting the inert substances produced 
in the processes of digestion and absorption into living, 
organized protoplasm. 

The protoplasm (cell) is therefore the primordium, the 
unit in both animal and plant life — because it is the first 
organized structure possessing the physiologic character- 
istics of life — nutrition, excretion, motility, reproduction and 
response to stimuli, the latter being included under four 
separate divisions, namely, electric, thermic, mechanic and 
chemic — and to this should be added a fifth — dirigation. 

Blood Plasma. — Various changes take place in the blood 
plasma, even before the frank symptoms or manifestations 
of disease appear — to call for medical treatment — such as 
excess or deficiency of water, excess or deficiency of fibrin 
factors, excess or deficiency of salts, the presence of fat 
droplets, also melanin, a metabolic pigment containing 
sulphur — rarely iron — found in Addison's disease — the skin 
is bronzed — and in melanotic tumors. Nevertheless, it is 



40 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

a product of cell activity and is found under normal con- 
ditions in the choroid coat of the eye, the skin, the hair 
and the muscles. The plasma may also contain dissolved 
hemoglobin (hemoglobinemia), but the most significant 
change as related to the present inquiry, is connected with 
abnormalities in alkalinity. 

Hemoglobin and Derivatives. — The corpuscular elements 
of the blood are liable to various deviations from normal, 
some of which are conservative, or reconstructive; others 
are abnormal, although its integrity in the main depends 
upon the alkalescence and stability of the hemoglobin. 
The latter is a crystallizable, proteid-like substance con- 
taining iron. It breaks up into hematin and globin on the 
addition of an acid or an alkali, and when certain drugs are 
administered in large doses, notably antifebrin, methemo- 
globin is formed, by which its oxygen-carrying capacity is 
lost, the blood becoming chocolate-colored, when death 
follows from asphyxia. Other derivatives of hemoglobin 
include hemin, hematin, hematoidin and hemato-porphyrin. 
It readily unites with oxygen and other gases. Thus, when 
an open gas flame is allowed to burn in a room not properly 
ventilated, the oxygen unites chemically with the carbon, 
forming carbon monoxide (CO), a chemic product, which 
is irrespirable in the proportion of three per cent., death 
resulting from asphyxia. In this connection, it should 
be mentioned that respired air in a close room is not fatal 
until the carbon dioxide (C0 2 ) — a mixture — measures ten 
per cent., although open lights — gas, lamps, and candles — 
become dim before this point is reached. As this gas is 
heavy and not readily diffusible, the lower stratum is more 
poisonous than the upper — a point worth considering in 
ventilation, a lost art. 

Aeration and Ventilation. — Aeration of the human body, 
however, is far more important than ventilation of rooms, 
and yet few people understand its advantages, not to 
mention the necessity — shown by the surprisingly large 
number who begin coughing as soon as they get out of 
bed, keep it up at irregular intervals throughout the day, 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 41 

a constant reminder of their ignorance — or laziness. While 
the aborigines and half-civilized tribes may be excusable 
for negligence, lack of knowledge is no excuse in modern 
times, since the profession is ever on the alert to protect the 
public, not only against external causes, but there is also a 
popular notion that doctors are constantly on the outlook 
to protect their patients and the general public against 
themselves — to the end of maintaining health and promoting 
longevity. Indeed, there is at present a systematized effort 
on the part of the medical profession and the laity combined 
to "stamp out" disease, and while much has been accom- 
plished in the recent past, there is still much left undone, 
especially with regard to individual education. 

An Apotheosis of Medicalism. — What with Christian science, 
mental healing, psycho-therapy and other movements, the 
twentieth century seems destined to witness an apotheosis 
of medicalism more sweeping than the deification of the 
"germ," which has so long been regarded as the ultima 
thule of the profession. Still, these tidal waves are not 
without benefit, and in the case of bacteria, we do not 
under-rate their importance, now that we understand their 
character, functions, and dangers. As regards the occult- 
isms referred to, we should follow in the same lines, adopting 
Macaulay's plan — to "explode the occult by explaining it," 
and that is substantially what the writer has attempted in 
various papers upon this important topic, exposing the 
mythical tenets of empiricism by bringing them within 
range of the modern scientific search-light to explain that 
there is no phantasmagoria or mysticism in medical art. 

Respiratory Function of the Tissues. — In order to give this 
discussion a practical turn, it will be advisable to consider 
briefly the respiratory function of the tissues in connection 
with suboxidation, their inter-relations and dependence upon 
alkalescence. 

Physiologists are in agreement as to alkalescence being 
the normal condition of the tissues while the pathologist is 
equally positive that diminished alkalescence is abnormal. 
The clinician, therefore, should take a comprehensive view 



42 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

of the various phenomena likely to intervene between the 
two extremes. He prescribes remedies and advises treatment 
for the symptoms presenting, according to the conventional 
methods laid down in text-books, oblivious to the funda- 
mental, underlying causes, the suboxidation and diminished 
alkalescence which hindered tissue respiration and finally 
precipitated the attack of illness. Of course, quite a number 
of physicians are acquainted with Loeb's experimental 
investigations, showing that "stimulation" produces alkal- 
escence — which is of temporary benefit in relieving symptoms 
in chronic cases and even effects a cure in the early stages 
of many diseases. I refer here to the judicious employment 
of electricity, but how many operators in this special branch 
understand that their success or failure depends upon their 
ability to produce an alkalescence of the tissues sufficient 
to promote the dissociation of the magnesium? 

Diminished Alkalescence. — As a matter of fact, all forms of 
chronic diseases, are dependent either directly or indirectly 
upon magnesium infiltration, as a result of diminished 
alkalescence and suboxidation, a statement which can be 
fully verified by physiologic investigation and confirmed 
by clinical observation. In addition, it may be said without 
the fear of successful contradiction that all acute diseases 
are modified in severity and prolonged by or through the 
presence of magnesium deposits; and it is also safe to claim 
that in every instance, nervous disorders are precipitated 
and their intensity determined by the same cause. Such 
being the case, of course, there will be a furore to condemn 
these sweeping assertions, because their general acceptance 
would revolutionize medical treatment, but the physician 
who can comprehend this universal doctrine will be able to 
maintain the health of his patients and promote longevity 
through his knowledge relating to physiologic chemistry. 

Edison's Work on Colloids. — There are numerous methods 
by which the truth of these claims may be established, but 
in this instance I will refer to certain evidence which is 
entirely outside of medical literature, and yet it is so closely 
related to my clinical investigations on this subject that I 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 43 

think it extremely important. Of course, it is well known 
that Mr. Edison has been for a long time making experi- 
ments with a view to producing an efficient and practical 
electric storage battery. In fact, I have learned that two 
men whom he employed in this work made no less than 
nine thousand experiments and finally were compelled to 
give up because it "got on their nerves." In the course of 
a personal letter to the writer, his secretary says: 

" It is curious that he [Edison] has found that the only way 
to remove organic colloids from strong solutions of alkali is by 
shaking with magnesium oxide and filtering. Why magnesium 
alone should do this is rather strange. This phenomenon was 
found by trying to prevent the frothing of the alkaline electro- 
lyte in his storage battery." 

The above statement throws a flood of light upon the 
clinical investigations which I have made relating to mag- 
nesium infiltration. It is well known that the nerve structure 
is composed of a colloid substance and water, and it is now 
believed that the colloid substance carries the positive 
electric current while the water carries the negative current. 
If alkalescence of the tissues be diminished to the extent of 
saturation, there will be no current. However, we have in 
the blood a certain body called oxidase, and I have assumed 
that this active oxidizing agent combines with certain mag- 
nesium salts to form the oxide; and here we have the mag- 
nesium oxide combined with the organic colloids of the nerve 
structure to act as an insulator, to hinder or interfere with 
the transmission of an electric current which is the force 
or energy that maintains the uninterrupted transmission of 
nerve impulses. 

Transient Effects of Electricity. — Suppose we have a patient 
who suffers from magnesium infiltration affecting the nerve 
supply of the lower extremities. He complains of pain, 
tenderness, and various paresthesia, and this may go on 
for years without benefit from internal medication. Some 
one recommends that he put a small piece of copper in one 



44 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

of his shoes and a piece of zinc in the other, and in half an 
hour all the unfavorable symptoms disappear. But they 
return shortly after the electrodes have been removed. Here 
is a child who is poorly nourished, or who is ordinarily 
healthy, or is extremely stout and subject to recurrent 
attacks of croup. A string of amber beads around the neck 
will cause all croup symptoms to disappear, and yet they 
will return on leaving off the amber beads. Here is a man 
who suffers from some chronic ailment with obscure central 
derangement of the nervous system. He goes to an elec- 
trician who gives him the static breeze for ten minutes or 
so, and his troubles disappear as though by magic. Similar 
results are attained in the treatment of chronic indigestion 
by means of electric belts, and some patients, who for years 
have had recurrent attacks of lumbago, find that these 
belts ward it off as long as they are worn. 

Electro-plating from Magnesium Oxide. — The foregoing is 
sufficient to show in my opinion the advantages of electricity 
as a temporary expedient in the treatment of different forms 
of magnesium infiltration, yet from the fact that they are 
only of temporary benefit, it seems that they might be 
termed superserviceable. This conclusion is warranted 
from the fact that internal medication directed to the 
abnormal condition, together with the collateral treatment, 
will not only relieve the symptoms promptly, but there will 
follow complete recovery, inasmuch as collateral treatment 
should be directed to reestablish the normal physiologic 
equilibrium as regards alkalescence, which would thus 
prevent the nerves from becoming "electro-plated" with 
magnesium oxide. 

Assuming that a case is made out, that magnesium oxide 
is produced within the body by the action of oxidase upon 
magnesium salts, and that this substance unites with the 
organic colloid of the nerve structure, impairing or destroying 
function, it is not so difficult to determine the causative 
factor responsible for the notorious infant mortality, espe- 
cially during the summer season. Popularly known as 
" calcined magnesia," this deceptive and deadly chemical 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 45 

is almost universally employed as a "sedative." with the 
result that the children are subjected to a legalized euthan- 
asia, or when recovery ensues, it is in spite of medical 
treatment, a sad commentary upon modern medicine and 
the twentieth century civilization. And yet. parents are 
suspicious, physicians claim to be skeptical — to cover 
ignorance — and there is a general consensus of opinion that 
it would be unwise to go contrary to tradition, and besides, 
it might be dangerous to employ such quickly acting 
remedies. 

The Problem in Nutrition. — As a problem in nutrition, the 
conditions are extremely interesting, the complications 
diversified and the outlook indefinite, since it is impossible 
to determine in advance of treatment whether the irritation 
set up in the nerve structures has brought about organic 
change. The general plan which I have found successful 
/"Magnesium Infiltration." Wisconsin Medical Recorder, 
1909)., embraces three distinct lines oJ: treatment, as follows: 

(1) Restore the digestive capacity. 
2 Neutralize acid excess. 
(3) Promote magnesium dissociation. 

A brief survey of the conditions presenting well marked 
evidences of magnesium infiltration in some of the more 
common disorders, to be offered in subsequent pages, will 
suffice to demonstrate the fundamental basis of the investi- 
gations. 

There is nothing difficult for the physician to understand 
with respect to the "lines of treatment." suggested, either 
as regards diagnosis or medication, since it is a simple 
problem to determine the principal or dominant factor 
responsible for indigestion. For example, in the case of 
insomnia, when the patient complains of inability to sleep 
before midnight, there is a disordered condition of the 
stomach, due to the decomposition of nitrogenous foods 
(meats', along with the bacterial flora, the latter, or their 
toxins, entering the circulation and acting as an abnormal 
stimulus to the brain cells. Again, when the insomnia 



46 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

occurs after midnight, these patients being awakened along 
about two or three oclock in the morning, we know that 
the intestinal digestion is at fault — there is imperfect 
digestion of the starchy foods, with fermentation, and in 
addition, probably excessive microbic activity with absorp- 
tion of toxins through the medium of the lacteals. 

In both instances, regulation of the dietary, cutting off 
meats in the first instance and starchy foods in the latter, 
would produce appreciable benefit, but it would require 
an interminable period of "rest" and "exercise" to effect 
magnesium dissociation, a chemic deviation having been 
brought about by or through the long continued acid excess, 
incident to the indigestion. In other words, the physiologic 
deviation has given rise to certain definite and demonstrable 
chemic changes in the body cells, including nerve cells, in 
consequence of which normal function is impaired — and 
this is the problem in nutrition. 

Mass Action. — The law of "Mass Action" was first demon- 
strated (1S67), by Guldburg, a Norwegian physicist, and 
Waage, his son-in-law, a chemist. Later, Van't Hoff, the 
celebrated Rotterdam chemist, in an extended series of 
investigations proved the correctness of the theory. His 
"Studies in Chemic Dynamics," covers the whole subject 
of chemic dynamics, and chemic equilibrium, placing it for 
the first time upon a scientific basis. The deductions 
from these investigations together with the demonstrations 
available from plant fife have enabled me to present the 
subject of magnesium infiltration upon a strictly scientific 
foundation. 

Peculiar features, not to be overlooked in this connection, 
relate to the universality of this chemic deviation in both 
sickness and apparent health, together with the facility of 
demonstration — by the results of medication calculated to 
promote magnesium dissociation. Further, a failure to 
secure the usual or anticipated reactions proves the hope- 
lessness of medical treatment — in such cases as infantile 
paralysis, and other varieties or types of paralysis, neuritis, 
neuralgia, and neurasthenia, along with the chemic deviations 



PHYSIOLOGIC DATA: RESUME 47 

responsible for chorea, epilepsy, locomotor ataxia, arterio- 
sclerosis, and so-called heart failure. Indeed, there is no 
"missing link" required to show that magnesium infiltration 
is the dominant factor in nutrition, because the chain of 
evidence is complete. 

The reader should not infer, however, that this chemic 
deviation designated "magnesium infiltration" is a disease 
de novo; rather, it is an effect, and will be variously mani- 
fested at different stages in its progress, the cause being 
readily traceable to digestive disturbances arising from 
dietetic errors. That is, defective assimilation, primary 
and secondary, is the original cause, and it is by a critical 
study of disorders of metabolism that we shall effect a 
solution of the chemic problem in nutrition. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM. 

Definition — Normal Nerve Stimuli — Electric Conductivity — Heat 
and Cold — Mechanic Stimulus — Intrinsic Merits of Osteo-therapy — 
Chemic Stimulus the Crux — Adaptability of Glandular Structures — 
Abnormal Chemic Stimuli — Acid Excess Hinders Intestinal Digestion 
— Psychic Stimulus — Tropism: Radio-activity — Physiologic Action — 
Atomic Nature of Radium. 

Definition. — Metabolism is a comprehensive term em- 
ployed to cover nutrition, and includes all the various 
intricate chemic and physiologic processes incident to 
absorption and excretion — anabolism, or building up, and 
katabolism, or breaking down. The chemic change is 
usually an hydration, dehydration, reduction or oxidation, 
while the physiologic change arises from the cellular activ- 
ities, inert organic substances being converted into living, 
organic cells, called protoplasm. Thus, diet is an essential 
element in deranging metabolism — when it consists prin- 
cipally of meats, with disordered digestion, the tendency 
is to an acid excess, or even uric acid, with symptoms of 
gout, lithemia, rheumatism, and neuralgic attacks. 

As shown, later on, this deviation may be readily over- 
come and the causative factor removed — by correction of 
the impaired digestion, regulation of the dietary, neutral- 
izing the acid excess and promoting dissociation of the 
magnesium deposits to which a diminished alkalinity of the 
body fluids has given rise. Except in extremely chronic 
cases does this treatment fail to afford prompt relief, and 
with reasonable care in the dietary, the benefit is permanent. 

A study of the principles of nutrition necessarily embraces 
an inquiry into the status of the physiologic and chemic 
reactions, since the reactions are brought about through 
the medium of what are termed nerve stimuli. 

Normal Nerve Stimuli. — All forms of life, to attain fruition, 
require or demand certain factors, or, shall we say, accom- 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 49 

paniments, sympathy and stimulus. Xo more is plant 
life successful in a barren soil surrounded by weeds than a 
child arrives at maturity clothed with intelligence and 
noble impulses as a result of continued association with 
vice, showing the natural tendency to reversion in the 
absence of sympathy and stimulus. Of course, it is possible 
to have too much condolence, agreement or tenderness, and 
it is a fact that lack of sympathy is frequently a more 
serious obstacle to advancement in the individual than 
absence of stimulus, since there is a constant, unfavorable 
influence which tends to produce obsession in the more 
highly organized brain structures, a subject more directly 
within the province of the psychologist than the physician. 
Therefore, under the head of normal nerve stimuli we have 
to consider the physical and physiologic bearings in their 
relation to metabolism, while the psychic factor should not 
be overlooked. 

The human body may be compared to a dynamo, which 
holds or possesses power for performing work; in other 
words, it contains potential energy which may be employed 
or developed in the form of kinetic energy, and here lies 
the gist of successful treatment — regulating and controlling 
the cellular activities in accordance with their known 
response to stimuli. 

The normal nerve stimuli include electric, thermic, 
mechanic, chemic and psychic, apparently five separate 
divisions, but so intimately related and interdependent that 
we must consider them collectively as well as individually. 
For example, the employment of electricity has attained 
prominence owing to its efficiency as a stimulus, but when 
we come to a critical study of its so-called physiologic action, 
we find that it includes other than the mere superficial 
effects. Thus, the faradic current causes muscular con- 
tractions, a mechanic stimulus; and the muscular con- 
tractions in turn produce chemic changes or reactions, 
always attended by more or less elevation of temperature. 
Besides, the electric, mechanic, chemic and thermic, there 
follows the psychic stimulus, conscious or sub-conscious. 
4 



50 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

The effect of galvanism is similar — parallelism without 
identity — electrolysis being produced, with softening or 
chemic decomposition at the negative pole, making it 
available for the treatment of tumors and malignant 
growths. 

The special advantages claimed for the high frequency 
electric current are that it is free from painful effects upon 
the tissues and that it effects the resolution of obstructions, 
although it produces a degree of heat upon the deep seated 
tissues which could not be sustained if applied locally. 
Advocates of the high frequency current assume that 
elevation of the local temperature without pain, attended 
with the most marked evidences of improved nutrition, 
demonstrates its superiority over the employment of external 
heat. Numerous well qualified operators, having failed to 
obtain any satisfactory therapeutic results, condemn the 
method, claiming that any apparent benefits are due to 
psychic influences — forgetting the logical deduction that 
they themselves should have witnessed the psychic effects. 

An explanation should be forthcoming to account for 
failures, and would be, were the physiologic action more 
fully comprehended; hence, it may be interesting to note 
briefly the claims advanced, namely, that the benefits are 
due to chemic changes in the tissues, as evidenced by the 
increase in the solid constituents in the urine, the increased 
elimination of carbon dioxide together with an augmented 
heat production and greater activity of the sweat glands, all 
of which tend to promote nutrition in general. It is claimed 
also, that arterial tension is lowered, that this peculiar current 
counteracts the venom of serpents and lessens the virulence 
of bacteria and their toxins. 

Electric Conductivity. — While this is a general statement 
covering the effects, it by no means throws light upon the 
reasons for the physiologic changes. Perhaps it would be 
well here to state that one of the most important functions 
of the high frequency current is increase of the electric 
conductivity of the body fluids and tissues. No better 
illustration of this scientific fact can be found than is shown 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 



51 



below, the record of a series of experiments carried out by 
Emma Lootz and Alice Weld Tallant, 1 to determine the rela- 
tion of the electric conductivity of blood serum to its alleged 
bactericidal power. The tabulation shows the variations 
in electric conduct ivity at different temperatures, from 24° 
to 70° C, the material being kept at each temperature long 
enough to insure a constant reading. 

Concluding the experiment, the serum was cooled to 38° 
C, approximately the normal temperature of the body, when 
the electric conductivity remained practically unchanged, 
indicating that heating had caused no physico-chemic 
deterioration. 



Electric Conductivity — Blood Serum 
(At varying temperatures.) 



11.323 


55° 








19.283 


12.753 


56° 








19.643 


14.696 


57° 








19.881 


17.873 


58° 








20.133 


18.160 


59° 








20.410 


18 . 526 


60° 








20.730 


18.800 


70° 








23.253 


19.053 


After ( 


'ooling 


38 





14.743 



24° 
30° 
38° 
50° 
51° 
52° 
53° 
54° 



This is additional evidence in favor of the working hypo- 
thesis underlying magnesium infiltration, applying especially 
in the case of paralysis. Thus, when the tissues are sur- 
charged with magnesium, a non-conductor, the electric 
conductivity is diminished, oxidation retarded, and elimina- 
tion of waste products prevented — in consequence of the 
disordered cellular activity, this effect being similar to that 
which follows the emanations of radium. In addition to 
this should be mentioned the fact that the high frequency 
current is effective in relieving local manifestations of con- 
stitutional derangement. ^When the constitutional derange- 
ment is emphasized or intensified by or through diminished 
alkalinity of the tissues, the benefits must be correspondingly 
decreased; again, when the local obstruction is composed 



Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, September, 1900. 



52 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

principally of inorganic substances, such as lime and mag- 
nesia, necessarily resolution will be comparatively limited — 
it can only affect the organic substances with which the 
inorganic material is combined. Thus, we are enabled to 
give a plausible explanation for the efficiency, and at the 
same time there is brought forward a reasonable basis for 
the failures. 

A word more in regard to the character and effect of the 
high frequency current as employed in the treatment of 
disease. Absence of pain is due to the rapid oscillations — 
they produce no sensation upon the nerve, and hence no 
action upon muscle, although the current carries potential 
energy sufficient to illuminate several sixteen-candle power 
lamps. Thus, electricity, considered as a stimulant, is 
converted into heat; heat, is in turn, changed into chemic 
action, this being followed by further chemic change, modi- 
fied by the associate nerve stimuli and regulated by or 
through the normal resistance inherent in the human organ- 
ism. Such being the case, would it not be the part of wisdom 
to study the chemic nature of the complications with which 
we are called upon to deal, endeavoring to effect stimula- 
tion by more exact, less complicated and more direct 
methods? The difficulty in regard to electric stimulation 
hinges upon the lack of knowledge concerning its proper 
employment. Thus, the unfortunate results attending the 
use of the a>ray in medical practice are such that patients 
fear it, while under proper regulations as to intensity, it is 
entirely harmless. Just as in the case of other remedies, it 
has been found that a large dose destroys the tissues, while 
a small dose enacts the role of a stimulant — it augments 
cellular activity. 

Heat and Cold. — Heat and cold are equally valuable in 
suitable cases and the employment of one or the other may 
prove the connecting link in the successful termination of 
a case, but we must not forget their limitations — also their 
relative value as adjuncts to promote chemic reactions. 

It will be sufficient to discuss briefly in this connection 
the employment of water as a thermic stimulus — thermo- 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 53 

therapy. History credits Father Bernardo, of Malta (1724), 
as being the first to grasp " the broad conception that water 
had curative relations to the whole realm of disease," 
although his recommendations were confined to ice-water 
alone. At the present time the use of water as a remedial 
agent — for its stimulant properties in the treatment of 
disease — hinges principally upon the work of Brand, who 
has put forward a "system," which is less extensively 
employed now than a decade ago, and usually with some 
modification to conform with the personal equation of the 
individual physician. 

The various methods by which heat and cold are applied 
as nerve stimuli may be outlined as follows (Hunter) : 

1. Packing, hot and cold, general and local, sweating and 
cooling. 

2. Hot air and steam baths. 

3. General baths, of hot water and cold — the latter used in 
typhoid. 

4. Sitz, spinal, head and foot baths. 

5. Bandages (or compresses), wet and dry. 

6. Fomentations and poultices, hot and cold, sinapisms, 
stupes, rubbings, hot and cold. 

In addition to the above, should be mentioned mud or 
clay baths, enemata, hot and cold; also the bidet in like 
manner. 

Taking a comprehensive survey of thermo-therapy — from 
a modern viewpoint, as represented by hydrotherapy — it 
will be apparent that the discoveries in bacteriology have 
more than dimmed the luminosity of deductions advanced 
by its most enthusiastic supporters, since bacterial infection 
introduces a new and hitherto unconsidered factor in the 
treatment of disease — the chemic problem. 

Critical analysis of this question, taking the full bath, 
hot or cold, as an example, brings out a number of patent 
facts, easily recognized by the most casual and indifferent 
observer. Thus, a momentary cold plunge enacts the role 



54 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

of stimulant, but the cold bath long continued, may produce 
symptoms of profound depression. The effect of a quick, 
hot bath is that of a sedative, but in the case of debility or 
great prostration, say during convalescence, a moderate 
prolongation of the hot bath acts as a stimulus. Cold, 
therefore, may be employed to produce heat — as an excitant 
or stimulus, while heat, similarly employed, has a cooling 
and soothing effect. In both instances, the effect of heat 
and cold, momentarily employed, is to augment cellular 
activity, to increase oxidation and promote elimination, 
in short, to complement tissue change, by favoring chemic 
action, a deduction which is logical, practical and available 
in the absence of bacterial infection. In the case of typhoid 
fever, for instance, the benefits are indirect rather than 
direct, remote instead of immediate, because the infection 
is found in the blood and lymph channels and also in the 
intestinal tract. By means of a harmless agglutinin, 1 
together with suitable medication to correct the abnormally 
acid condition of the body fluids, the cold bath should prove 
an invaluable adjunct in the treatment of this disease, 
lessening its severity, shortening its course, and greatly 
reducing the mortality. 

We must bear in mind that the full bath, hot or cold, is 
distinctly a health adjunct, the function of the skin being 
complementary to assimilation, primary and secondary. 
Elimination of excrementitious substances, liquid and solid, 
through the cutaneous envelope, exceeds the amount dis- 
charged through the bowel in the proportion of three to one. 
The physiology based upon making the skin perform a 
vicarious function and thus lessen the work thrown upon 
the alimentary tract is certainly lacking in consistency on 
theoretic grounds, while its practical application is attended 
with serious drawbacks, unless the proposition is considered 
from the standpoint of the veterinarian. Apparently, the 
traditional doctrine of purging is still rampant and defiant. 

1 The substance in the blood serum producing the agglutination 
phenomenon or clumping of bacilli in the Widal reaction. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 55 

The harshness of this criticism will be modified, and I shall 
dodge the charge of iconoclasm by suggesting a critical 
investigation of the chemic problem from a clinical stand- 
point. 

In respect to the traditional poultice must be entered 
an emphatic protest, its employment being not only useless, 
but positively harmful, and besides, it often leads to serious 
complications in the case of boils, abscesses and carbuncles. 
It supplies heat and moisture and furnishes a nidus for 
the growth and multiplication of bacteria, which later, may 
find access to the general circulation, giving rise to septic 
infection (septicemia). No modern-trained physician would 
endorse the application of a poultice in the case of ptomain 
poisoning nor hydrophobia, because of its utter foolishness. 

Mechanic Stimulus. — Mechanic stimulus is deserving of 
careful investigation, for various reasons, among which 
may be mentioned its intrinsic merits, the rapidly increas- 
ing demand for it — and further, because of its limitations. 
Just as the practice of medicine gradually slipped away 
from the priest, and as bleeding was lost to the barber and 
combined with first aid to the injured to round out surgery, 
so the ancient bone-setter gave place to the osteopath, and 
as in the case of all innovations, osteo-therapy has met 
with bitter opposition. While massage has advantages as 
a mechanic stimulus, and machines are employed for a 
like purpose, there is nothing superior to the human hand 
for the purpose of discovering and correcting displacements, 
or demonstrating and relieving muscular contractions and 
adhesions — and such is osteopathy. 

The Intrinsic Merits of Osteo-therapy. — The intrinsic merits 
of osteo-therapy are due to the fact that nature, however 
conservative, frequently bungles — physical growth as well 
as mental development may be hindered, deviated or 
arrested. Now, since we have neurologists, alienists and 
psychologists for mental derangements, why not have bone 
and muscle doctors for physical deviations? Here is a 
comely child, ten years of age, utterly lacking in mental 
capacity (feeble-minded), except the natural instincts; 



56 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

another child of the same age has "buckling" of the spine 
(rickets), while mentally almost precocious. Who shall say 
what could be accomplished in such cases if taken in time by 
the psychologist and osteo-therapist respectively, when we 
take into consideration the notable advantages afforded by 
chemistry — to reorganize, reconstruct and recoup the loss 
arising from impaired, defective, or deficient stimulus? 
Coupled with the benefits to be derived from chemic stimu- 
lation, osteo-therapy is invaluable; alone, it may, and 
frequently does, accomplish remarkable results, but there 
is reason to believe that in many instances the commercial 
end of the problem threatens to obscure the professional 
attainments of the operator — "The voice is the voice of 
Jacob, but the hand is the hand of Esau." 

The rapidly increasing demand for mechanic stimulation 
is a story by itself — a story with a moral as well as a problem. 
To-day, the rising generation is brought up in accordance 
with the teachings of the cereal manufacturers, about on a 
par with present day medical practice, fifty per cent, of 
the prescriptions on file in the drug stores being for pro- 
prietary medicines. Physicians who condemn osteo-therapy 
must be regarded as arbitrary and unreasonable, even 
bigoted, since their opposition is founded upon superficial 
knowledge rather than upon reliable information and 
personal observation. For example, it is well known that 
many ailments, both acute and chronic, are due to failure 
in nutrition, or deviation from normal affecting the spinal 
vertebrae — headache, neuralgia or moist palms, from dis- 
placement or wasting in the bones of the neck; indigestion 
liver trouble, and kidney disorders from like complications 
lower down; and besides, we frequently find that spinal 
defects demonstrate the presence of magnesium deposits in 
the nerve structures, which osteo-therapy ameliorates, but 
does not cure. The constitutional involvement is amenable 
only to chemic stimulus — antidotes? 

The limitations of mechano-therapy are necessarily 
inherent. Like electricity and heat and cold, it is subsidiary 
to chemic stimulation, but it is none the less essential for 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 57 

the correction of deviations and reestablishing the normal 
chemic reactions. 

Chemic Stimulus the Crux. — Now, since electric, thermic, 
and mechanic stimulation all converge to produce chemic 
reactions (stimulus), it follows that chemic stimulus is the 
crux, the puzzle or conundrum to be solved before we can 
accomplish any satisfactory results in determining the 
scientific basis of rational treatment. Indeed, it is the 
pivotal factor confronting us in our efforts to counteract, 
ameliorate and eradicate infection or disorder; hence, a 
brief consideration of the complications. 

The first question coming up for consideration, one of 
paramount importance, relates to the possibility or proba- 
bility of there being what might be termed a preponderating 
or dominating chemic status. If it can be established that 
we have to deal in general or in the main with a normal or 
generally prevalent chemic reaction, the puzzle is more 
than half solved. For example, we find that the normal 
reaction of the salivary secretion is alkaline, while that of 
the mucous glands is acid, both secretions being found in 
the mouth. Pursuing our investigations, we find that the 
reaction of mucus is constantly acid; that is, whenever we 
test the secretion of the mucous glands proper, the reaction 
is acid whether it be the nasal cavity, the stomach, the 
intestine, the bladder or the mucous membrane of the 
pulmonary apparatus. Indeed, the delicacy of the pul- 
monary mucous membrane has led to the belief that the 
tissues here are normally acid, but this is an error, and has 
evidently led to unfortunate deductions regarding the 
treatment of pulmonary and bronchial affections, since it 
has been demonstrated beyond question that the normal 
reaction of the body tissues is constantly alkaline. However, 
the general proposition is well established that tissue change 
occurs normally when it presents an alkaline reaction, all 
tissue being supported and rebuilt by the blood, whose 
integrity depends upon its alkalescence. Whenever derange- 
ment of function occurs, there is diminished oxidation, 
failure in tissue change and naturally this leads to acidity; 



58 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

and not only do the glands of the mucous membranes carry 
off acid surplus, but we also have the kidneys actively 
engaged in the conservative process. In addition to this, 
we have the sweat glands and also the sebaceous glands of 
the skin, whose function it is to eliminate waste material, 
from a pound to a pound and a half of moisture and solid 
matter being removed every twenty-four hours. In the 
kidneys, for example, we have a glandular apparatus which 
removes acid from the blood together with the urinary 
water and solids, and this acid liquid is only separated 
from the alkaline blood by an extremely delicate membrane. 
When the kidneys have performed their function as far as 
possible, and the circulating blood still remains charged with 
acid, there is a gradual breaking down of the previously 
healthy tissue. Later, or consecutive to this, we have 
albumin appearing in the urine — followed by, properly 
beginning nephritis or Bright's disease, discovered by Dr. 
Bright. 

Substantially the same conditions are found in the skin, 
the alkaline blood being separated or kept apart from the 
acid secretions by the delicate cellular structures which 
make up the various layers of the cutaneous envelope. 
Stimulation of the skin by means of electricity, or heat and 
cold, or massage can promote the activity of the cells — in 
other words, they act as normal nerve stimuli. The same 
is true of chemic stimulants; thus, a hot bath charged with 
an alkali such as bicarbonate of soda, will not only neutralize 
the acid which has accumulated in and upon the skin, 
because of its stimulating effect upon tissue change. In 
the case of psoriasis, which is attended with intolerable 
itching, by the addition of an acid together with calcium 
chloride, we obtain an effervescent water which produces a 
more pronounced chemic action than the plain bicarbonate 
of soda, since the magnesium deposits are dissolved by the 
action of the acid — carbonic acid — when the calcium particles 
take the place of magnesia, according to the law of mass 
action. 

Apparently the evidence is conclusive in favor of the 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 59 

supposition that the cellular chemic reaction is alkaline, 
and while the eliminated waste products are acid, it does 
not follow that the administration of acids is good practice, 
except under rare and unusual conditions — such as pre- 
sented by senile decay. 

Adaptability of Glandular Structures. — An interesting illus- 
tration, as showing the peculiar adaptability of glandular 
structures, is to be found in studying the functions of the 
stomach. Of course, the mucous glands of this organ pro- 
duce the ordinary acid secretion, but during digestion we 
have a digestive fluid containing approximately 0.2 per cent. 
of hydrochloric or muriatic acid, a mineral acid. Xow, 
it is well known that persons who suffer from dyspepsia 
likewise experience a sense of acidity; that is, they realize 
that a demand for alkalies indicates a surplus of acid. Hence, 
to overcome this defect, these patients have learned from 
physicians that they may safely and advantageously take 
bicarbonate of soda — an alkali — in liberal quantities. But, 
physicians who recommend this treatment, and patients who 
follow their advice, learn sooner or later that the treatment 
affords only temporary relief. In fact, it finally fails utterly 
to produce any apparent benefit, and this too, for the good and 
sufficient reason that the sodium content regularly combines 
with chlorin and lactic acid to form more hydrochloric acid, 
so that the patient becomes a more or less constant sufferer 
from what is termed hyper-chloridia. Weeks, months, and 
years have been frittered away in vain efforts to correct this 
hyper-chloridia or acid excess without any definite knowledge 
regarding the deleterious effects ol the bicarbonate of soda 
which combined chemically to perpetuate the disorder. 

Abnormal Chemic Stimuli. — In this connection it will be 
in order to take a brief survey of the effects of abnormal 
chemic stimuli, such for instance as we have just noted in 
the case of dyspepsia, where the hydrochloric acid arising 
or resulting from medication became the abnormal nerve 
stimulus. And if we were to follow up this idea it would 
result in exposing and demonstrating the folly of the present 
day medication in the treatment of catarrhal conditions 



60 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

affecting the mucous membranes. The result of acid excess 
upon the kidneys has already been noticed; the evidence 
that acid excess is the dominating factor in the development 
of, as well as in the persistency in, the case of tuberculosis, 
is overwhelming; for all practical purposes, the same claim 
is warranted regarding the treatment of nasal and naso- 
pharyngeal catarrh, because when acid excess is neutralized, 
improvement is immediate and marked, and with attention 
to the dietary, relief is permanent. 

Acid Excess Hinders Intestinal Digestion. — Finally, we have 
left for consideration a study of the effects of abnormal 
stimulation upon the intestinal tract, the acid excess giving 
rise to persistent intestinal indigestion. In fact, intestinal 
indigestion follows hyper-chloridia affecting the stomach as 
night follows day. Digestion here under normal conditions 
is conducted under an alkaline or neutral reaction; hence, 
should the reaction be acid, digestion of starchy foods is 
delayed, and where we have to deal with hyper-chloridia — 
of the stomach — there will usually be more or less incom- 
plete function of that organ, so that portions of the 
nitrogenous foods escape into the intestine. Of course, the 
pancreatic juice may be sufficient to complete this digestion, 
but usually we find that this work is very imperfectly per- 
formed, and as a rule there is decomposition (putrefaction). 
Along with this decomposition of nitrogenous food, the 
delay in the digestion of starchy foods leads also to fermen- 
tation, and were it not for the action of microbes in the 
lower bowel, which assist in completing the digestion, we 
should have serious difficulties to contend with. 

Acid excess, therefore, hinders intestinal digestion; it 
leads also to fermentation with more acid; in addition to 
this, it favors the decomposition or rotting of nitrogenous 
foods, and these complications, of course, naturally lead to 
an increased demand for microbic action, a subject more 
fully considered in discussing appendicitis. 

Before leaving this special topic, it seems advisable and 
expedient to make an effort to impress upon the reader the 
extremelv unfavorable outlook as regards health when we 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 61 

have to deal with acid excess as it involves the intestinal 
tract, because it strikes at the root of nutrition, and from this 
particular point, we find its effects in the way of radiation 
involving all the various structures and organs of the entire 
body. It is a condition which increases susceptibility to all 
infections and especially is it connected with the numerous 
deviations from health which we are called upon as physicians 
to treat. By recognizing and removing the cause of the 
disorder, we immediately overcome the derangement which 
is responsible for imperfect metabolism. 

Psychic Stimulus. — While much has been claimed for the 
psychic influence, not alone as a potential factor in main- 
taining health, but as a prophylactic and curative agent in 
practically all disorders, this subject demands brief con- 
sideration. Starting with the patent fact that the mental 
factor is important, its significance dwindles when we 
observe the effect of medical treatment upon children and 
the insane. Consider this in contrast with the utterly 
unwarranted declaration of a popular author (Schofield), as 
follows : 

"Indeed, so great is the mental factor in therapeutics, that 
it is not too much to say that inferior medical skill with a good 
and assuring manner is more likely to effect a cure than a 
superior skill with a diffident and depressing personality. ,, 

Less aggressive but more fanciful and picturesque are the 
teachings of our French colleague (Jules Payot), w T ho w T ould 
"almost persuade" his readers to believe that psychic 
cogitation could mitigate or even dissipate an attack of 
typhoid fever, although he does not tell us how an infant 
in arms may ward off an attack of croup. Here is a quota- 
tion suggesting the contemplative ruminations and mental 
gyrations requisite to secure fertility in results — scarcely a 
practical theory in the case of insanity or even well marked 
cases of neurasthenia: 

"Meditative reflection is marvelously fertile in results: It 
gives birth to strong, effective emotions; it transforms vacillating 



62 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

tendencies into energetic resolutions; it utilizes the influence 
of the suggestions of language and passion; it enables us to get 
a clear glimpse of the future and to foresee the dangers arising 
from our own nature and to avoid the external circumstances 
of our environments that contribute to our natural indolence." 

The modern apostle of psychic treatment, however, is 
Paul Dubois, a physician, metaphysician, and materialist 
of international repute, whose marvelous ability and tactful 
skill demand more than ordinary attention. Indeed, a 
careful study of his published utterances would lead us to 
infer that he had solved the riddle of human suffering and 
would revise the law of gravitation at the first opportune 
moment. 

The following extract from his popular work ( The Psychic 
Treatment of Nervous Disorders) , is arranged in numbered 
paragraphs, the better to enable the reader to follow the 
criticism : 

"1. A person is not neurasthenic in the same way that he is 
phthisical, uremic, cardiopathic, but he is neurasthenic just as 
he is lazy, undecided, timid, irritable and susceptible. Tell me 
please, what organic chemistry can explain these peculiarities of 
our psychic being? 

"2. What is the toxin that makes of a poetic genius a Sadist 
or an invert? Do we bestow energy upon a patient who has 
lost his will-power by injecting glycero-phosphates into him, 
by washing his blood with mineral waters, by making his 
cutaneous vessels contract by a cold douche, or by nourishing 
him exclusively on pap? No. It is a question of mental con- 
ditions and of psychic peculiarities. 

"3. These can be fostered by influences which are entirely ^J 
somatic; but they can be equally influenced by educative 
efforts." 

Now let us see what develops when these dogmatic and 
sweeping generalizations are analyzed and dissected under 
the search-light of modern science. Taking the paragraphs 
in regular order, the appended data will serve to indicate 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 63 

more clearly the relative position and merits of psychic 
stimulus as a therapeutic agent, showing also the fallacies of 
its most enthusiastic advocate. 

(1) In this paragraph we have a fairly complete description 
of the neurasthenic, "lazy, undecided, timid, irritable and 
susceptible," abnormal conditions not only explained, but 
demonstrated by inorganic chemistry, the symptoms disappear- 
ing when the magnesium deposits are displaced — by chemic 
dissociation in accordance with the law of mass action, or 
disintegrated by or through the medium of chemic stimulus 
acting upon the body cells. 

(2) Instead of a toxin being the cause for loss of energy 
and will-power, more frequently, if not generally — aside from 
atavism and heredity — the deviations from normal are directly 
traceable to the defective innervation, or insulation, incident 
to the factitious deposits, which interfere with or hinder the 
uninterrupted transmission of nerve impulses. Remove the 
obstructions by chemic stimulus, and we reestablish normal 
molecular changes in the nerve structures, insuring mental 
equilibrium together with subsidence of the psychic peculiarities 
— and that too, without the glycero-phosphates, the mineral 
waters, the cold douches and the pap, all these measures 
being superficial and shifty expedients born of ignorance, and 
dialectics, except as an adjuvant, should be relegated to the 
same category. 

(3) Somatic or bodily influences should not be overlooked 
or neglected, and the same is true of "educative efforts," but 
to depend upon these alone, excluding the advantages offered 
by stimulation of the chemic activities, is merely to fold our 
arms and maintain a position of "masterly inactivity." 

These claims are fully substantiated by the case records 
enumerated in subsequent pages, the patients themselves 
being the best evidence of the correctness of the diagnosis, 
as well as conclusive proof that the deductions are logical 
and warranted — by the results of treatment. 

What incentive, therefore, to speculate for months on the 
outcome in neurasthenia, when chemic treatment for a 



64 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

week or ten days suffices to demonstrate its efficiency in 
correcting the deviation from normal. 

What excuse can be advanced for seven weeks of "rest 
treatment" as an expedient in the case of brittle arteries, 
when ten days of chemic treatment — without rest — will 
actually produce the hoped-for results with a degree of 
certainty approaching mathematical precision? 

Who shall have the temerity to advocate a term of six 
months in dialectics for a chronic rheumatic when it requires 
but three days to neutralize acid excess and reestablish 
normal tissue change, with complete relief from the most 
forbidding symptoms? 

Finally, what can be said of medical science when nineteen 
doctors in ten years fail to relieve a case of gastralgia — 
neuralgia of the stomach — while the twentieth effects an 
immediate and lasting cure from a single visit, except that 
the nineteen were engaged in "active practice"? 

Tropism. — The response of both animals and plants to 
external stimulus, called tropism, is both interesting and 
instructive, inasmuch that it shows a measure of mentation, 
together with both physiologic and chemic activities inde- 
pendent of the nervous system — unless we assume that 
every living cell has some form of communication with the 
central nervous system, and that owing to environment it is 
qualified or prepared to perform certain special functions. 
While we cannot assign to clams, oysters and worms a 
distinct psychic endowment, not even instinct, there is no 
doubt of their tropisms, or automatic response to external 
stimuli. Various illustrations are available in proof of this 
statement. Thus, a plant bends toward the light, or a 
tendril, as growth advances, leans toward a rod or a piece 
of twine; a hunter is never lost in a forest when he can 
distinguish the tips of the hemlock trees bent eastward; 
so likewise a moth is stimulated to dash into a flame, not 
by instinct, but as a reason of tropism — heliotropism. As 
a result of warmth, chemic changes take place in the 
caterpillar and set it in motion; volatile substances within 
the body of the blow-fly start the egg-laying mechanism, 
additional evidences of tropism — chemo-tropism. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 65 

The amebae, simple protoplasmic bodies (protozoa?), 
having a nucleus and nucleolus, possess numerous proper- 
ties, all functions being shared by every part of the organism. 
"An ameba, for example, it is well known, is capable of 
finding, seizing, devouring, digesting and assimilating food, 
has a special provision for collecting fluid and pumping it 
out of its body, respires by its whole surface, moves about 
apparently where it will, exhibits a sensibility to tactile 
impressions and reacts in all probability to smell, if not to 
sound and light," thus exhibiting what might be termed 
multi-tropism. Moreover, the ameba is susceptible to 
chemic influences, a scientific fact worthy of note in connec- 
tion with the recent investigations of Ehrlich and his pupils 
in the therapy (chemo-therapy), of syphilis — an additional 
illustration of the correctness of the theory of chemo-taxis. 
Loeb advances the theory that all movements of the lower 
animals are due to tropisms, and that these act through 
chemic influences upon the body cells. 

These illustrations are brought forward to emphasize the 
importance of considering the physical and chemic proper- 
ties — or functions — of the protoplasm, the ultimate cells or 
units comprising the human body, since it displays in no 
uncertain manner the significance of the chemic activities 
in promoting and maintaining normal adjustments and 
adaptation. 

Radio-activity — the transformation of atoms (?), is an 
exceedingly interesting topic, from the viewpoint of metabo- 
lism, and although imperfectly understood, deserves con- 
sideration in the present discussion. Kreuznach, Germany, 
is credited with the honor of establishing this new industry 
upon a commercial scale. The artificial mineral waters — 
containing the proper percentage of the various mineral 
salts — are prepared in bulk, when the desired degree of 
radio-activity is added by means of specially prepared brass 
cylinders, called "activators." The Radiological Institute, 
of Heidelberg University, stands sponsor for the claim that 
no considerable dissipation of the emanations occurs so long 
as the water is not agitated — otherwise, it loses its activity 



66 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

very rapidly. This latter observation might be studied 
in connection with the stimulating effects of sea-air, sea- 
bathing, and the tonic effects of an ocean voyage, since 
both streams and mineral springs eventually discharge 
their contents into some of the large bodies of water, carry- 
ing with them more or less of the inorganic constituents of 
the soil through which they permeate, and probably radium 
among the number. 

Physiologic Action. — Since radium has been employed in 
the treatment of numerous diseases experimentally without 
any definite idea of what it is expected to accomplish, and 
without a knowledge of its effect upon the living tissues, 
normal or diseased, a brief reference to its physiologic action 
will prove interesting and instructive. 

According to Sir William Ramsay, there are three kinds 
of rays emanating from radium, "alpha," "beta," and 
"gamma." The first can be bottled, the alpha rays being 
due to a gas which cannot escape unless the stopper of the 
bottle is removed. The beta rays are also particles, but 
very small and moving with enormous velocity; the gamma 
rays are not particles, but mere waves in the ethereal 
medium which surrounds us — analogous to light. In 
answering the question, "How long would radium last if it 
were always changing into gas," Sir William replies, "For- 
ever." The amount given off is always proportional to 
the amount of radium present. In addition, he says, "We 
can tell how long it will take radium to half-change into 
the emanations, and the time which we have just measured 
in the laboratory is 1750 years." 

The classical researches of Rutherford throw additional 
light upon this topic. He says that the alpha rays consist 
of positively charged flying particles, these particles being 
of atomic dimensions, flying through the air at the rate of 
about twenty thousand miles per second (?). By means of 
the electrometer, he has succeeded in catching these particles 
one by one; in other words, he has captured and demon- 
strated the individual atom — at the rate of about thirty 
each minute. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 67 

The method by which these results were attained is 
referred to as "a most attractive study in ballistics." A 
firing chamber contains the radium and between this and 
the target chamber is placed an extremely thin mica plate. 
As the infinitesimal projectiles enter the detecting-chamber 
through the window, the electric equilibrium of the con- 
tained air is upset, which causes the electrometer needle 
connected with it to jump — there is a "needle-jump" on 
the entrance of each particle. 

In conducting these researches there was developed an 
extremely significant, scientific fact, relating to radium 
emanations, namely, that these particles possess the peculiar 
property of increasing the electric conductivity of the air, 
and this, it will be unnecessary to remind the reader, affords 
an explanation of its value in the treatment of various 
diseases, such as gout, rheumatism, superficial tumors and 
various skin diseases. At the same time, this peculiar 
property will account for the great reputation which radium 
has attained in the treatment of obscure nervous affections 
which were really cases of magnesium infiltration, the tissues 
impregnated with magnesium deposits being practically 
insulated. Exposure to radium emanations immediately 
stimulates the cellular structures by augmenting the electric 
conductivity of the tissues, including nerve tissue. This 
explanation also accounts for the failure of radium in cases 
of deep-seated tumors, such as cancer, because the pene- 
tration of the emanations is not sufficient to produce the 
desired effect upon electric conductivity of the deep-seated 
structures. Like all other remedial measures, however, 
success or failure in the employment of radium, both inter- 
nally and externally, hinges upon the precautions taken 
to insure the normal alkalescence of the body fluids and 
tissues, as otherwise but temporary benefit can be expected. 

Atomic Nature of Radium. — The existence of alpha par- 
ticles had previously been suspected. For example, on 
placing a small portion of radium before a screen of zinc 
sulphide — in the dark — scintillating stars of light, like a 
swarm of fire-flies, appeared on the screen, supposed to be 



68 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

due to the impact of individual particles, and now Ruther- 
ford's investigations confirm the working hypothesis. 

That alpha particles are atomic has also been proved by 
other scientists. Thus, Royds introduced into a vacuum a 
small glass tube containing radium, the glass being so thin 
as to permit emanations — in the form of alpha particles — 
with the result that after two days there appeared in the 
vacuous space between the electric terminals a delicate, 
phosphorescent light, shown by spectroscopic examina- 
tion to be helium. It remained for Dewar, however, to 
determine the volume of helium (gas), produced by one 
gram of radium, and by means of Rutherford's counting 
method he arrived at the approximate number of atoms, 
or alpha particles, in a cubic centimeter 1 of helium under 
standard conditions— 25,600,000,000,000,000,000, a number 
in remarkable accord with that long accepted by scientists 
as representing the ultimate chemic particles in a cubic 
centimeter of gas. 

This slight digression relating to the atomic constituency 
of radium would be pardonable if it did nothing more than 
emphasize the vital importance of studying metabolism in 
the light of recent scientific investigation, but a special 
significance is attached to this discussion, since the atom is 
not the ultimate in nature. Instead of being simple in con- 
stitution, atoms are actually highly complex, electrically 
charged particles, containing negative as well as positive 
electricity, and from the present outlook, final decision 
awaits our efforts in outlining and plotting the domain of 
electricity itself. Not only the human body, but every 
substance whatsoever presumably consists of ultimate 
particles, still more infinitesimal than atoms, possessing 
peculiar, definite and demonstrable properties which enable 
us to claim for them both electric and chemic reactions. 
How, then, shall we reconcile the crude methods of treating 
disease in the infinitely delicate living structures with 
which we have to deal? 

1 A centimeter is approximately five-eighths of an inch. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM— Continued. 

Absorption and Excretion — The Digestive Apparatus — The Pan- 
creatic Secretion — Final Stage in Absorption — Microbic Digestion — 
Acid Excess in Debility — Excretion by Various Routes — Excretion by 
the Pulmonary Apparatus — Vicarious Function — The Skin — A Case 
of Rheumatism — Secondary Assimilation — Purgatives Objectionable — 
Acid Excess and Innervation — Summary. 

Absorption and Excretion. — The initial and final steps 
in metabolism are designated absorption and excretion, 
numerous physiologic and chemic changes taking place as 
a result of the various stimuli, coupled with the inherent or 
vegetative function of the cells. When normal reactions 
are present, nutrition is maintained, because assimilation 
and elimination complement each other, leaving no waste 
material to hinder or interfere with function. In other 
words, nutrition depends upon assimilation, primary and 
secondary, and any material chemic change sets up at once 
a derangement of fimction, since it introduces abnormal 
stimuli. This proposition will be more easily recognized 
and understood by a brief reference to the different organs 
directly concerned in the process. 

The Digestive Apparatus. — The digestive apparatus includes 
the entire alimentary tract, digestion of starchy food-stuffs 
beginning with mastication. A meal of bread and milk passes 
through a rather complicated process before it is ready for 
assimilation. Thus the ptyalin of the saliva, an enzyme or 
unorganized ferment, converts the starch into maltose, this 
action continuing for some time after it enters the stomach. 
The hydrochloric acid, which is activated (stimulated), 
by the alkalinity of the salivary secretion, also has some 
action upon the starch, while the glutin of the bread is 
changed by pepsin into glutin peptone. The caseinogen — 
of the milk — is changed into casein by the rennin, and 
consecutively, the pepsin changes it into casein proteose 
and peptone. The albumin and globulin of the milk are also 



70 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

changed into proteoses and peptones, while the heat of the 
organ is sufficient to melt the fats. In addition, the soluble 
salts — of both bread and milk — are dissolved, rendering them 
available for distribution and assimilation. 

When food is taken into the stomach, both openings 
close, the stimulus produces involuntary, rhythmic, mus- 
cular contractions, together with the flow of gastric juice. 
At the end of an hour, under normal conditions, the pyloric 
orifice relaxes, permitting the more liquid chyme to pass 
into the duodenum, where it comes into contact with the 
bile and pancreatic juice as they flow from the common 
duct. Now begins an interesting physico-chemic adjust- 
ment; the acid chyme flows from the stomach at somewhat 
irregular intervals, due to reflex action upon the pyloric 
orifice, which closes until the alkaline bile and pancreatic 
juice have neutralized the chyme. This process is continued 
until chymification is completed, the stomach being emptied 
in the course of three or four hours. However, it is not 
unusual for portions of undigested (nitrogenous) food to pass 
into the duodenum, where it comes under the influence of 
the trypsin of the pancreatic secretion, which converts the 
proteids into proteoses and peptones, thus supplementing 
the action of pepsin — the latter changes proteids into 
proteoses and peptones in the presence of hydrochloric acid. 
In addition, the acid gastric juice destroys many micro- 
organisms swallowed with the food. 

The Pancreatic Secretion. — The pancreatic secretion is a 
complex substance. As previously stated, the contained 
trypsin supplements the pepsin, producing proteolysis in 
an alkaline medium; it also changes caseinogen into casein; 
amylopsin changes starch into maltose, dextrose and dex- 
trin; steapsin splits up fat into fatty acid and glycerin; 
invertin changes maltose into dextrose, and saccharose into 
equal parts of dextrose and levulose; succus entericus changes 
maltose into glucose, and saccharose into invert sugar; bile 
neutralizes the acid chyme, precipitating pepsin, saponifies 
fats, carries waste products from the liver, and increases 
peristalsis, thus regulating the bowels. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 71 

Originally regarded simply as a process of solution, 
absorption and distribution, digestion has developed ex- 
tremely complex and complicated problems, covering as it 
does the interval between the introduction of inanimate 
substances and their conversion into living, organized 
protoplasm, possessing all the essential properties of life — 
nutrition, excretion, motility, reproduction and response 
to stimuli. 

Final Stage in Absorption. — The final stage in absorption 
takes place in the small intestine — through the intestinal 
villi (tufts), peptones being changed during the passage to 
albumins and globulins. The carbohydrates, soluble salts 
and proteids enter the capillaries, then are carried by the 
portal vein to the liver, thence to the general circulation 
through the hepatic vein. Fats are taken up by the lacteals, 
carried to the receptaculum chyli, thence by way of the 
thoracic duct to the left subclavian vein — where the chyle 
enters the general circulation. 

This study would be incomplete without referring briefly 
to certain recent investigations relating to the stimulation 
(activation), of the glands by a pro-digestive product called 
" secretin. " Just as butter, syrup or jelly on bread stimulates 
the flow of saliva, so the presence of food in the stomach 
stimulates the production of secretin at the pyloric extrem- 
ity, which "activates" the peptic glands. The same is true 
of the intestinal secretion — succus entericus — and further, 
it has been learned that unless the entero-kinase of the 
intestine combines with the trypsinogen of the pancreas to 
produce trypsin, there is but weak action of this proteolytic 
ferment. 

Microbic Digestion. — Microbic digestion should not be 
overlooked. Whether it is essential in man has not been 
definitely settled, but there is ample evidence showing its 
serious disadvantages when excessive — some recent writers 
even assert that intestinal bacteria are responsible, not 
only for permanent invalidism, but also for premature 
decay and death, claiming that longevity would be promoted 
by removal of the colon in childhood. 



72 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

In studying this question we must bear in mind that 
bacteria are in a measure complementary to stomach and 
intestinal digestion, acting upon the nitrogenous food- 
stuffs (meats), in the lower part of the small intestine. Por- 
tions of undigested food do escape gastric action, and may 
also pass along the small intestine without being converted 
by a weak-acting trypsin, in which case microbic digestion 
may, and often does, prove invaluable. Under normal 
conditions as to chemic reactions, there is a well grounded 
belief that bacteria are mutually antagonistic, and clinical 
evidence points to this theory as a reliable working hypoth- 
esis, well marked cases of appendicitis in the incipient stage 
readily yielding to remedial agents exhibited for the purpose 
of neutralizing acid excess. 

The latter observation brings forward a pressing demand 
for definite information relating to measures available 
for conserving the digestive apparatus. Following the 
ingestion of food, we have learned that the saliva should be 
alkaline or neutral in reaction, since acid saliva is abnormal 
and will interfere with the action of ptyalin upon starch. 
But acid salivary reaction is a local manifestation of con- 
stitutional deviation, a positive proof that intestinal diges- 
tion is delayed and impaired, the hyper-acid condition of the 
stomach being a more or less constant complaint — there is 
failure in oxidation and defective elimination. 

Acid Excess in Debility. — Acid excess is a common and 
usual condition when the system is debilitated from any 
cause, and leads to various obscure phenomena, such as 
headache, malaise, neuralgia, neuritis, irregular bowel move- 
ments and insomnia, together with rheumatic twinges and 
occasionally attacks of mental depression, a long train 
of ills that may be promptly corrected and the normal 
condition incident to perfect metabolism restored. 

Of course, this refers only to chronic ailments, but we 
meet with the same conditions in acute diseases, and it is 
therefore a matter of prime importance to determine daily 
any deviation from the physiologic equilibrium — by testing 
the saliva with blue litmus paper. Indeed, many physicians 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 73 

are now so well convinced of the practical adaptation of this 
simple operation that they place greater dependence upon 
the salivary reaction than they do upon the temperature 
record. 

The whole secret then, of treating disease successfully, 
lies in the proper management of the digestive function; 
hence, our efforts to establish a scientific basis of treatment 
which will prove universally satisfactory to both physician 
and patient. 

Excretion by Various Routes. — Excretion takes place by 
various routes — the liver performs a double function — its 
cells are so specialized that it manufactures glycogen (animal 
starch), from the nutritive elements carried to it by the 
portal vein, and it also secretes and eliminates bile, together 
with such poisonous products as are brought to it in the 
blood stream. It is in fact the kitchen of the body and yet 
it possesses no power to neutralize excessive acidity. Like 
all other organs and tissues, when the alkalinity of the blood 
is diminished, its functional activity is impaired, one of the 
most common derangements being engorgement of the bile 
ducts (canals) — when the sufferer experiences a metallic, 
brassy or putrid taste in the mouth, indicating re-absorption 
of bile. The daily excretion of bile varies within normal 
limits from sixteen to twenty-four ounces, and when the 
flow is arrested from any cause, there follows decomposition 
in the intestine, and generally an increased flow of colorless 
urine. Persons subject to recurrent attacks of neuralgia 
soon learn to interpret this latter symptom as a sure sign 
of an approaching siege — and unfortunately, resort to 
purgatives, when an alkali is demanded. 

The kidneys also perform a double function; they secrete 
urine and at the same time eliminate waste products, acting 
in the capacity of filters. The daily amount of urine secreted 
is approximately forty ounces, about two and a half pounds, 
and in addition to this, more than an ounce of solids (500 
grains), in the form of urea, the greater nitrogenous waste 
— tissue decomposition. It is a crystallizable substance, 
neutral in reaction, and soluble in water — less soluble in 



74 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

alcohol. Formed principally in the liver (-§), and in the 
intestine (-§-), the output varies with the diet, a nitrogenous 
diet (meats), notably increasing the amount. On the other 
hand, a meat diet leads to acidity with diminished oxidation 
and defective liver function, so that uric acid is formed 
instead. The normal daily secretion of uric acid 1 ranges 
from seven to ten grains; with imperfect oxidation due to 
acid excess arising from a meat diet, the proportions of 
urea and uric acid may be reversed, resulting in uricemia 
(lithemia — uric acid in the blood), or uric acid diathesis — 
deposits of urates in and around the joints. Meat eaters are 
also liable to attacks of uremia — retention in the blood of 
urea — as a result of magnesium infiltration consecutive to 
acid excess. 

Other solid constituents of the urine include the follow- 
ing: Sodium chloride (common salt), 180 grains; sulphates 
(sodium and potassium), 30 grains; phosphates (alkaline and 
earthy), 45 grains; hippuric acid, 7 grains, all told, a little 
over an ounce and a half, and besides, there are extractives 
and coloring matter — indican, urobilin and urochrome. 
In disease, various foreign substances appear — sugar (glu- 
cose), in diabetes mellitus (glycosuria), acetone and diacetic 
acid, in acidosis, albumin (albuminuria), in Bright 's disease, 
bile in jaundice, and in certain forms or types of indigestion, 
indican in excess (indicanuria) . 

Excretion by the Pulmonary Apparatus. — Excretion by the 
pulmonary apparatus consists chiefly of carbon dioxide 
(carbonic acid), a product of disassiruilation derived from 
the tissues and the blood, elimination being imperatively 
demanded as a condition of health. Atmospheric air 
charged with ten per cent, carbon dioxide is fatal to life, 

1 Uric acid, a product of disassimilation, is an exceedingly insoluble 
substance, generally in combination with soda or ammonia, principally 
as urate of soda, but union with the base is very feeble. Laboratory 
tests show that urates are readily decomposed — in the test-tube— ^by 
the addition of a very small quantity of almost any acid, but clinical 
observation has demonstrated the inutility of acids in this diathesis, 
diminishing the alkalinity of the blood and tending to aggravate the 
malady. 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 75 

but nature, always conservative, has provided that the 
blood shall part with it in passing through the lungs more 
readily than with oxygen. However, defective oxidation 
leads to impairment of the respiratory function with accu- 
mulation of carbonic acid, physical depression and mental 
hebetude, a condition which readily yields to a suitable 
breathing exercise. The subject, lying flat on the back, 
with the clothing properly loosened, should take a moderately 
full inspiration and hold the breath for a reasonable time, 
but not long enough to cause discomfort. This simple 
operation, repeated for a period of five or ten minutes affords 
immediate relief, and will be found available to counteract 
or overcome exhaustion. It is based upon the well known 
law in physics that the diffusion of gases is in inverse pro- 
portion to their density. 

Vicarious Function. — Vicarious function on the part of 
the lungs is not unusual. For example, acetonuria is indi- 
cated by a peculiar, fragrant odor of the breath; chronic 
constipation often produces an odor of feces; impairment 
of the kidney function is attended with urinous odor; 
volatile and resinous substances, such as alcohol, ether, 
sandal-wood, and other medicinal preparations likewise 
escape through the pulmonary apparatus. 

The Skin. — The skin performs an important function as 
a heat-dissipating organ, and besides, the insensible per- 
spiration and solids carried off amount to a pound or more 
in twenty-four hours. It also serves to protect the under- 
lying tissues, especially the end-organs of the sensory nerves 
from extremes of temperature, and it is frequently the seat 
of serious disorders traceable to impairment of the digestive 
apparatus. Thus, a person suffering from psoriasis on taking 
a hot bath in a weak solution of magnesium sulphate experi- 
ences a most violent aggravation of all the symptoms, 
while a Xauheim bath — an alkaline solution containing 
sodium bicarbonate and calcium chloride — relieves the 
distressing symptoms and affords comparative comfort 
for twenty-four hours. Like the lungs, the skin also per- 
forms vicarious functions, the most important being the 



76 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

elimination or excretion of any surplus acid in the system, 
as in the case of fever or other acute disorders. In all 
chronic ailments this is a recognized factor, and the routine 
treatment of the present day is concerned with the discovery 
of physiologic remedies — to arrest the excessive secretion 
and overcome the debility incident thereto, overlooking the 
fundamental fact that this is a vicarious function consecutive 
to constitutional deviation and readily amenable to chemic 
stimuli. In no instance is this proposition more satisfactorily 
and conclusively demonstrated than in the case of night- 
sweats. Further, should be mentioned in this connection 
the prolonged convalescence where night-sweats have 
developed as a complication, because the acid excess pro- 
motes or favors the factitious deposits in the tissues — tissue 
infiltration, actually magnesium infiltration. 

A Case of Rheumatism. — A case of rheumatism which 
recently came under observation will serve to illustrate and 
emphasize the importance of studying the chemic problem 
in nutrition. 

The patient, a farmer, forty years of age, was taken with 
inflammatory rheumatism in April, six months ago, and although 
under constant medical treatment, he is still unable to work. 
There is pain and stiffness of all joints, the fingers being so bad 
that he is unable to close his hands. A few days before the first 
visit he said he had tried to work but failed. He cut four 
shocks of corn (about an hour's work) in two hours, and was 
laid up for the remainder of the day. 

The salivary reaction was acid, the acid reaction of the skin 
pronounced, and as a result of his constitutional deviation he 
suffered from shortness of breath, the pulse being 96 per minute 
— at least twenty beats above normal. 

Treatment was instituted (on Sunday), with two distinct 
objects in view — (1) to neutralize acid excess, and (2) promote 
magnesium dissociation, and as a result, he went to work 
Tuesday afternoon — plowing out potatoes — and continued right 
along to the end of the week, feeling better able to work every 
day. At the second visit, a week later, shortness of breath 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 77 

had disappeared, the pulse-rate was 72 per minute and normal, 
the pain had subsided and stiffness in the joints was rapidly 
improving — by reestablishing the physiologic equilibrium upon 
a normal basis in respect to chemic reactions. 

Secondary Assimilation. — Having now considered digestion, 
or primary assimilation, it will be in order to discuss second- 
ary assimilation, the formation of the organized tissues of 
the body — from the nutritive elements carried to the liver 
through the portal vein, and directly to the blood through 
the thoracic duct. The first, as well as the dominant factor 
which demands attention, relates to the chemic status of 
the finished product — it is alkaline. Looking at metabolism, 
either as a physiologic or chemic problem, we must admit 
that alkalescence is a normal condition as regards nutrition, 
while acidity is essentially an end-product or waste, incident 
to the various changes taking place in the human economy. 
Excretion has to deal almost exclusively with the elimina- 
tion of acid products, acid urine, about two and a half 
pounds daily, acid perspiration, a pound and a half, and 
although the bowel movements are alkaline, they are limited 
to half a pound (8 ounces), three-fourths being water. Thus, 
the solids carried off daily by the bowels amount to approxi- 
mately two ounces, one-third being living and dead bacteria. 
Notwithstanding this disparity, it is an open secret that 
both laity and the medical profession employ laxatives and 
purgatives — because they do not understand, or cannot 
comprehend how chemic deviation interferes with secondary 
assimilation, leading to arrest of function and diminished 
secretion in the intestine, with consecutive constipation. 

Purgatives Objectionable. — From whatever viewpoint the 
question is studied, it must be apparent that purgatives 
are objectionable, because they interfere with secondary 
assimilation — by irritating the delicate cellular structures of 
the intestinal tract, which is responsible for the integrity 
of the primary assimilation, by carrying off a considerable 
portion of the watery part of the blood containing valuable 
antiseptic properties, and at the same time, reducing its 



78 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

relative alkalinity, and finally, by lessening the elimination 
of acid products by the skin and kidneys, and thereby 
hindering or interrupting normal tissue change in the various 
organs of the body. 

This, however, is but a superficial view of the unscientific 
method in vogue, a relic of antiquated tradition. A critical 
study of its bearings leads to the conclusion that it not 
only tends to impairment of the digestive function with 
arrest of elimination — by the skin and kidneys — but also 
that it must seriously interfere with innervation as regards 
the heart, the brain, the pulmonary apparatus, and in fact, 
all the vital organs. Generally speaking, the above might 
be considered plausible, because of its apparently reasonable 
and logical deductions, and in the absence of clinical obser- 
vation, we could assume that the evidence was sufficiently 
conclusive to establish a case, but we must determine more 
definitely how acid excess interferes with innervation — the 
function of the nervous system. 

Acid Excess and Innervation. — This question is discussed 
more in detail elsewhere, but it will serve our present pur- 
pose to offer theoretic examples, deferring the concrete 
illustrations for presentation under their proper headings. 
Thus, acid excess interferes with innervation by or through 
definite or demonstrable chemic changes occurring in the 
nerve structures, inorganic substances being deposited 
which enact the role of insulators — when the nerve supply 
of the heart is involved, the organ is crippled by insulation 
rather than by the intangible modern theory of "nerve- 
strain." Clinical observation points to a "short-circuit" of 
the electric current, by which the organ is insulated, and 
this is confirmed by postmortem examination, the heart 
muscle being found undergoing calcareous degeneration. 
Involvement of the brain structures furnishes even more 
convincing evidences, such patients usually being longer 
under observation, but in the final analysis the morbid 
condition is substantially the same, hardening of the tissues, 
defective innervation with magnesium infiltration as a result 
of long continued acid excess. There is no reasonable excuse 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 79 

for such an unfortunate state of affairs — permitting this 
almost universal disassimilation to continue. In the light 
of the facts presented, the popular dictum that "a man is 
as old as his arteries/' must undergo revision, substituting 
therefor — a man's age is in direct ratio with the intelli- 
gence of his doctor. It is simply a question in metabolism, 
dealing almost exclusively with the chemic problem in 
secondary assimilation, and it is pathetic, indeed pitiful, 
that a man should be old at the age of sixty. 

Summary. — The deviations from normal have been so 
fully presented or reflected in the discussion on metabolism 
that it seems scarcely worth while to summarize, except 
for those who have no time to read the entire article, or 
merely for the purpose of refreshing the memory. It will be 
advisable, therefore, to attempt a condensation, with the 
special object of bringing forward more prominently the 
arguments and deductions best calculated to elucidate 
the idea implied by the title selected — the chemic problem 
in nutrition. Advantage is taken of the sub-headings in 
regular order to facilitate reference and economize time. 

In defining the word metabolism, sufficient has been said 
to give a full and complete outline of its scope and signifi- 
cance from both the physiologic and chemic viewpoints. 
Analyzing the progressive changes between anabolism and 
katabolism, we are first confronted with the nature or 
character of the cause or causes which are either directly or 
indirectly concerned in their production — the normal nerve 
stimuli — electric, thermic, mechanic, chemic and psychic — 
particular care being given to the study of electric stimulus 
— because it produces thermic, mechanic, and chemic as well 
as psychic stimulus. Moreover, a new light is shed upon 
the therapeutics of medical treatment by means of the high 
frequency electric current, evidence being advanced to show 
that its remedial value is due largely to its influence in 
augmenting the conductivity of the body fluids and tissues 
— similar to the effect produced by radium emanations — a 
scientific fact which must prove of inestimable value to the 
clinician in the near future. 



80 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

But little is said regarding the action of heat and cold, 
not because thermic stimulus is of secondary importance, 
but for the reason that heat and cold are factors in the 
treatment of disease not so intimately connected with the 
subject in hand — that is, variations in temperature are not 
dominant factors, rather incidental factors with which we 
have to contend in our efforts to ameliorate the disorders 
arising from chemic deviations. Thus, while it is true 
that a person suffering from neuralgia, neuritis, sciatica, or 
lumbago is likely to experience an elevation of temperature, 
it does not follow that he should be dosed with antipyretics, 
or subjected to the cold bath treatment. The first would 
but add insult to injury, and the second would simply 
prolong the misery — by arresting or impeding the normal 
chemic (molecular), activities of the body cells. Heat 
would afford temporary relief, partial or complete, but 
recovery would depend upon the vitality of the patient, 
meaning by that, his inherent ability to conquer the effect 
of an abnormal stimulus. Why not begin at the right end to 
unravel the tangled skein — by employing chemic antidotes? 

Mechanic stimulus, as illustrated by osteo-therapy, has 
received impartial consideration, its demand for the correc- 
tion of such deviations as may be classed in the category 
of deformities being readily admitted. Like other nerve 
stimuli, its employment is attended with the coincident 
development of other kinetic stimuli — chemic action, heat 
and electric stimulation, while the psychic effects deserve 
attention. Notwithstanding these commendable features, 
there are limitations, owing to the patent fact that many 
of the disorders for which it is recommended are clearly 
local manifestations of constitutional involvement — such as 
those previously mentioned — when osteo-therapy is merely 
palliative. 

A note has been added relative to the untoward effects 
of abnormal stimulation, a constant and persistent factor 
in the treatment of disease, and unfortunately too often 
overlooked. Abnormal stimulation is the complication; 
without this, medical treatment would be reduced to a 



A STUDY OF METABOLISM 81 

mechanical basis, so that a carpenter, blacksmith, or a 
machinist could relieve and cure disease as well as the 
most learned member of the Faculty. 

In this connection should be mentioned the long train of 
symptoms — and ailments — arising from the impairment of 
intestinal digestion as a result of acid excess, a notable and 
conspicuous example of abnormal stimulation, or inhibition. 

Psychic stimulus is discussed with a view to develop its 
limitations, rather than for the purpose of discrediting its 
supporters — and mainly with a hope that the susceptible 
minority, with a broader horizon, may be able to secure a 
more intelligent conception of the morbid complexus known 
as disease. A brief reference to tropism will serve to 
emphasize this suggestion. 

In studying the special manipulation of the various food 
products, as carried on through the different stages from 
absorption to excretion, an effort has been made to show 
how, through their purely vegetative functions, the cells 
complete their work under normal conditions as regards 
chemic reactions, indicating at the same time how deviations 
therefrom impede, hinder or subvert the normal cellular 
activities — as a consequence or result of defective innerva- 
tion. And finally, discussing assimilation, it is pointed out 
as regards the finished product in digestion that it is con- 
stantly and entirely alkaline, alkalescence being the normal 
chemic status of the body fluids and tissues in anabohsm, 
while acidity must be looked upon as essentially an end- 
product or waste. 

Concluding this chapter, a word must be added in antici- 
pation of criticism. The statements covering the scientific 
and clinical facts are such as to require no verification, 
since they are fundamental. Whatever is new relates to 
their interpretation; hence, it cannot be said with candor — 
"What is true is not new. and what is new is not true." 
The interpretations will bear critical investigation — indeed. 
the principles here laid down will, when recognized and ap- 
plied, effect a revolution in the treatment of disease, dimin- 
ishing sickness, insuring health, and promoting longevity. 



INORGANIC FERMENTS. 

Colloidal Solutions — Colloids Non-toxic — Oligo-dynamics — Surface 
Energy — Adaptability of Mineral Ferments — Analogous to Organic 
Ferments — Bredig's Impressions — Poisons Affecting Colloidal Solu- 
tions — Clinical and Scientific Facts — Influence of Tradition. 

Colloidal Solutions. — We are indebted to Bredig for the 
introduction of inorganic ferments, colloidal solutions of 
metals, which possess catalytic properties, acting as ferments. 

As contrasted with natural colloids, such as starch, gum, 
gelatin, albumin, glycogen, etc. — mineral ferments are 
usually prepared by electrolysis, the metal being held in 
suspension in the form of ultra-microscopic particles. 
However, hydrates, sulphides and certain metals become 
colloidal by the operation of chemic processes, the well 
known antiseptic action of copper or copper-lined vessels 
furnishing at once an illustration and a demonstration. 

The peculiar and special value of artificial ferments — 
from a clinical viewpoint — appears to be rather imperfectly 
understood. For example, recent literature advocates the 
employment of electric colloidal solutions of metals in the 
treatment of various diseases on the ground that they show 
an " incontestible superiority" over chemic colloids, the 
claim being advanced that the former are bactericidal and 
non-poisonous. 

Taking copper as an illustration of this peculiarity, the 
experiments of Galeotti are particularly interesting. Thus, 
Galeotti (quoted by Kearney and Cameron), has shown 
(Biol. Centralbl, 21, 239, 1901): 

"The oligo-dynamic action of relatively concentrated 
'colloidal' solutions of metals disappears in the presence of 
weak solutions of electrolytes. A solution of copper containing 
1 gram atom of metal per 126,000 liters of water produces no 
effect upon spirogyra in the presence of 0.01 per cent, solution 



INORGANIC FERMENTS 83 

of sodium chloride, and a solution of 1 gram atom of copper 
per 63,000 liters of water acted only after twenty-four hours, 
although in the absence of the electrolyte the toxic effect of 
the colloidal copper solution is manifestated at the dilution of 
1 gram atom of copper per 126,000,000 liters of water." 

Colloids Non-toxic. — In other words, the ordinary, non- 
electric or oligo-dynamic action of copper solutions is at 
least two thousand times more toxic to algse than the 
electrolytic solution of the same metal. Nageli's classical 
discussion of the toxic effects of exceedingly dilute solutions 
of metallic salts upon the alga spirogyra is most interesting 
and suggestive. Thus, he found that copper (sulphate), in 
the solution of one part to 1,000,000,000 was fatal — and 
from these investigations, confirmed by numerous other 
authorities (Deherain and Demoussy, H. Devaux, Miani, 
Israel, and Klingmann), there developed the employment of 
this salt for the purification of the water supplies of towns 
and cities, rendered offensive by the decaying organic 
matter. 

Substantially, the same applies in the case of all metals, 
but at this point we run afoul of serious obstacles, as viewed 
by the medical practitioner, inasmuch as it is claimed that 
electrolytic solutions are not only non-toxic, but also that 
they possess bactericidal properties of great utility, appar- 
ently a contradiction of terms. In addition, however, the 
claim is advanced that these new candidates for professional 
favor are notably effective in stimulating the nutritive or 
vegetative functions — and further, that the various metals 
may be used indiscriminately. 

Colloidal solutions of silver have been in the hands of 
the profession for several years past and have attained 
popularity with both surgeons and medical practitioners, 
and the fact that we are promised further additions to the 
list — gold, platinum, arsenic, palladium and vanadium — is 
sufficient to warrant a preliminary inquiry as to their prop- 
erties, together with their prospective utility in practical 
medicine. 



84 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Oligo-dynamics. — In considering the basic principles in- 
volved, therefore, we must study carefully both the chemic 
and physiologic bearings, endeavoring as far as possible to 
reconcile and harmonize the various claims and deductions, 
to the end that electric colloidal solutions may be employed 
intelligently in the treatment of disease — an assumption 
which at once admits their practicability as well as their 
utility. Clinical observation coupled with experimental 
research and a critical study of the literature on the subject 
which has appeared within the last ten years, enables me 
to discuss the question impartially and without bias, although 
my teachings hitherto have been disregarded — perhaps on 
the ground that they were merely viewed as theoretical 
deductions rather than clinical and scientific facts. 

The oligo-dynamic action — of drugs or remedies — has to 
deal with the effects observed from their employment or 
exhibition in small doses. From the preceding quotations, 
it will be readily apparent that ordinary chemic solu- 
tions, or colloids arising from ordinary chemic processes, 
are more actively poisonous to organic life than electric 
colloidal solutions of the same metal — in the case of copper 
(sulphate), it may be a million times more toxic. This 
statement will, at first glance, appear utterly incredible, but 
the most incredible thing about it is the fact — it is true. 
And this brings forward a new and novel conception of the 
oligo-dynamic action of drugs. For example, by means of 
electrolysis, metals are resolved into infinitesimal particles, 
called ions, anions being given off at the positive, kations 
at the negative pole, these particles being indistinguishable 
by the most powerful microscope. 

Thus, metals in the form of electrolytic solution present 
an immense contact surface, a single cubic centimeter of 
colloidal gold being estimated to contain particles having a 
surface contact approximately 6,450 square feet. Moreover, 
while electrolytic solutions are heterogeneous, as contrasted 
with natural colloids, which are homogeneous, they possess 
the same peculiar characteristic, in not passing by dialysis 
through animal membrane. In addition, these colloidal 



INORGANIC FERMENTS 85 

solutions have a catalytic action, analogous to the catalyzing 
action of similar solutions upon hydrogen superoxide. 

Surface Energy. — Increased contact surface means increased 
surface energy, an augmentation of the osmotic properties 
of cells; in other words, the oligo-dynamic properties of the 
infinitesimal particles lead to increased motion, greater 
cellular activity, and in the absence of a tendency to hemo- 
lysis or plasmolysis, molecular changes are more rapidly 
accomplished — always provided, however, that the normal 
alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues is maintained. 
The effect of electrolytic colloids is, therefore, essentially 
that of stimulation, but without attention to the physio- 
logic equilibrium there is no permanent advantage to be 
gained. 

Thus, while beef-tea is recognized chiefly as a stimulant 
and without appreciable nutritive properties, its adminis- 
tration is followed by distinct osmotic action — a compen- 
sating current is established into the stomach, and from 
the intestine — due to the fact that it possesses a surface 
energy equivalent to about three atmospheres. However, 
we must not overlook the laboratory demonstration of Loeb, 
to the effect that "stimulation" of the living tissues tends 
to the production of alkalescence, but it must be evident 
to the most casual reader that stimulation in the case of 
diabetes must be continued indefinitely to overcome a 30 
to 50 per cent, diminished alkalinity of the blood. 

Again, it will be claimed that the normal saline is all- 
sufficient to correct this particular deviation, but in view of 
the fact that the bacillus tuberculosis will live for three 
months and the bacillus of typhus survives for six months 
in a saturated solution of sodium chloride, hypodermoclysis 
seems but a shifty expedient. Briefly stated, the neglect of 
means or measures to restore and maintain an approxi- 
mately normal alkalinity of the body fluids is the submerged 
rock that has foundered every fair craft which has ever set 
sail upon the unchartered sea of therapeutics, and in the 
case of inorganic ferments, unless due precautions are taken, 
history will repeat itself. 



86 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Adaptability of Mineral Ferments. — Granted that metals 
in electrolytic solution, as colloids, possess the notable and 
peculiar properties claimed for them, bactericidal, non-toxic 
and stimulant, the question naturally arises as to the prob- 
ability or possibility of their general adoption. Does the 
preparation of mineral ferments involve such delicate 
laboratory manipulation that their expense puts them 
beyond the reach of a physician in general practice? Or, 
does the employment of inorganic colloids demand such 
technical skill on the part of the operator that only special- 
ists can safely adjust and determine their potency and 
potentialities. 

In replying to these inquiries, while it is a travesty upon 
scientific medicine, physicians have from time immemorial 
enjoyed (?) these notable, peculiar and special advantages 
— except when they administered crude drugs in massive 
doses — and the explanation is so complete and satisfactory, 
so pat, I am almost ashamed to make the explanation. 

The denouement is easily traced and well illustrated by 
the gradual changes which have taken place in methods of 
medication within the past quarter of a century, decoctions 
and draughts giving place to concentrated solutions of 
definite strength, more palatable and less unsightly, then 
the coated pill or tablet, and finally, the tablet triturate, the 
ne plus ultra in modern therapeutics. Given, an insoluble 
substance such as calomel, the biniodide of mercury or 
copper arsenite in the form of a tablet triturate prepared 
according to the directions of Dr. Robert M. Fuller, and 
the question is immediately answered, because the infini- 
tesimal particles are suspended in the electrically charged 
body fluids as a heterogeneous colloid, and possess the 
peculiar properties characteristic of these ferments, bac- 
tericidal, non-toxic, and stimulant, since they exert osmotic 
pressure in consequence of their surface energy — and thus 
augment nutrition. The bactericidal properties of electric 
colloids, whether used hypodermically or given internally 
in the form of triturates, are indirect rather than direct, due 
to their favorable modification of the vegetative functions 



INORGANIC FERMENTS 87 

by osmotic pressure and the coincident stimulation arising 
therefrom, so that success or failure will hinge upon our 
efforts to restore and maintain the normal alkalinity of 
the blood. , 

Analogous to Organic Ferments. — The discussion of inor- 
ganic ferments would be incomplete without reference to 
the striking analogy between them and organic ferments, 
more especially in respect to the poisonous effects of various 
substances which are used • medicinally, or such waste or 
decomposition products as may develop in the human body 
during an attack of illness. Thus, an infinitesimal portion 
of hydrocyanic acid will perceptibly reduce the action of 
colloidal platinum upon hydrogen superoxide, while a gram- 
molecular weight (15 grains), of hydrogen sulphide gas 
dissolved in 34,500 liters (quarts) of water, reduces the 
velocity of the action to nearly zero. Substantially the 
same is true of carbon disulphide and corrosive sublimate — 
both of which, when in sufficient quantity, entirely prevent 
the action. 

The importance of the investigations will be apparent 
when it is taken into consideration that these different 
substances are used medicinally, notably hydrogen sul- 
phide and corrosive sublimate; hence, the expected benefits 
from colloidal solutions are impossible of realization. In 
addition, should be noted the fact that the substances 
mentioned are equally poisonous to organic ferments, and 
as a consequence their medicinal administration in crude 
form or in large dosage, is calculated to defeat the purpose 
for which they are employed — and this is, unfortunately, 
too often the case. There is, indeed, a woeful lack of pre- 
vision regarding the necessity for conservation of the organic 
ferments in the treatment of disease, so that when a patient 
recovers — in spite of treatment (?) — his tissues are bankrupt 
and convalescence unduly prolonged. 

The outlook, however, is not altogether unfavorable, 
since these colloidal solutions are extremely simple, while 
organic ferments on the contrary are very complex, so that 
by studying the modus operandi of the inorganic ferments, 



88 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

we may arrive at more definite conclusions relative to the 
physiologic functions and chemic properties of the enzymes 
or unorganized ferments of the digestive apparatus. 

In comparing the action of poisons upon both organic 
and inorganic ferments, we have brought forward their 
most striking analogy, but as a preliminary, we have other 
evidences of similarity, as follows: 1 

1. Very small amount of a colloidal metal will effect the 
decomposition of enormous quantities of hydrogen superoxide, 
just as very small amounts of organic ferments can effect 
relatively large transformations. 

2. These finely divided metals do not enter into the reaction 
they effect, but by reason of their surface contact, which 
determines their chemic status as catalyzers, such reactions 
being termed catalytic — mono-molecular. Precisely the same is 
true of the enzymes — they do not enter into the reaction, the 
action being due to the surface contact, thus introducing into 
medical practice a comparatively new term, surface energy, 
first brought forward by Bredig in his classical study of the 
mineral ferments. The following quotations from his mono- 
graph will serve to indicate his sincerity, while at the same time, 
it displays his marvelous enthusiasm: 

Bredig' s Impressions. — All these facts point to an unmistak- 
able analogy between the contact actions in the inorganic 
world, and the actions of ferments in the organic world. As 
in the case of my colloidal catalyzers, we are dealing with 
reactions in which enormously developed surfaces are involved, 
so it is probable that the same condition obtains in the action 
of ferments, enzymes, blood corpuscles and oxidizing or cata- 
lyzing organic substances. We see, therefore, that the organism 
develops its enormous surfaces in the tissues and colloidal 
ferments, not only because it requires osmotic pressure, but on 
account of the very great catalytic activity of such surfaces. 
If, as Boltzmann says, the war for existence which living matter 
must wage is a war about free energy, certainly, of all the forms 

1 Jones, Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, May, 1902, p. 97. 



INORGANIC FERMENTS 89 

of free energy, the free energy of surface is the most important 
for the organism. 

In conclusion, I need scarcely state that I do not maintain 
that there is any mysterious identity between the metals and 
the enzymes. But without exaggeration, the overwhelmingly 
large number of analogies, we are compelled to regard the 
colloidal solutions of the metals, in many relations at least, as 
inorganic models of the organic enzymes. 

Poisons Affecting Colloidal Solutions. — In reviewing Bredig's 
work, Professor Jones 1 publishes a number of laboratory 
records showing in a most graphic manner how various 
poisons affect colloidal solutions of platinum, among the 
number being hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen, iodide and 
iodine, the latter being the most active of all those tested. 

In fact, there is no recovery of the chemic action after 
exposure to the iodine solution, and this it may be remarked 
is in harmony with our clinical knowledge of iodine, which 
has long been recognized as an intense blood poison. 
Employed as an "alterative" in the treatment of many 
disorders, particularly syphilis and chronic diseases, for the 
avowed purpose of affecting resolution of morbid growths 
and hardening of the tissues, by promoting absorption, much 
harm has attended its injudicious use, in consequence of its 
poisonous effect upon animal tissue. However, its value 
must be conceded; hence, the need for some available plan 
to counteract or overcome this objection, a topic carefully 
considered in the section devoted to disorders of the circu- 
lation. 

Clinical and Scientific Facts. — An editorial with this 
heading, and referring to my paper ("Inorganic Ferments"), 
appeared in the Medical Times (New York, August, 1910), 
as follows. 

"That medical progress has long been hindered — seriously 
handicapped and frequently deviated from its legitimate 

1 Loc. cit. 



90 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

course — by tradition — is a truth firmly impressed upon the 
minds of all who endeavor to develop the scientific principles 
of drug therapy. Thus, certain remedies have long enjoyed 
great popularity in the treatment of disease, simply because of 
a claim that they were 'good' for this or that, but without any 
attempt to define or explain their properties on a physiologic 
basis. In many instances, later investigations have brought 
forward certain fundamental facts relating to physiologic 
action, which not only justify their employment, but these 
researches enabled the physician to employ the traditional 
remedies with discrimination and greater benefits to the patient. 
Nevertheless, the clinical fact, somewhat befogged and hazy, 
preceded the scientific fact, clear and distinct, which appeared 
in its stead. Indeed, strophanthus (arrow-poison), introduced 
by Fraser, of Edinburgh, was the first Galenic brought to the 
attention of the profession through strictly scientific induction — 
and since that time we have the antitoxins. 

" The foregoing remarks are suggested as a result of studying 
the possibilities and estimating the probabilities of a further 
study of 'Inorganic Ferments,' as outlined in the suggestive 
paper on this topic which appeared in our July number. In 
marked contrast with the crude methods in vogue at the present 
day, the advantages of employing metals in the form of non- 
toxic colloids introduces a new factor into modern therapeutics 
which gives promise of leading to efficiency and simplicity, 
while at the same time, it presents a most fascinating field 
for the clinician, inasmuch as it deals with the delicate function 
of the cells. 

" However, in considering this promising outlook, we cannot 
resist the temptation to recall the old maxim that 'history 
repeats itself,' the introduction of inorganic ferments being 
merely a scientific adaptation of the claims advanced by 
Samuel Hahnemann more than a hundred years ago. Although 
Hippocrates, Galen, Paracelsus, and other ancient physicians 
were kindly disposed to the doctrine of Similars, they were 
not the originators of any system of medicine. Unfortunately, 
Samuel Hahnemann made the serious mistake of claiming that 
trituration and succussion gave the remedies spiritual properties 



INORGANIC FERMENTS 91 

— due of course, to absence of scientific knowledge and lack of 
instruments of precision. It was impossible for him to under- 
stand, as we do at the present time, that trituration and suc- 
cussion have the effect of presenting medicinal substances in 
such a finely divided form that when taken up by the body 
fluids, they become non-toxic colloids, with immense surface 
contact and, therefore, increased surface energy — to influence 
osmosis. 

"In other words, Hahnemann had a somewhat indefinite 
idea of oligo-dynamics coupled with prevision, or shall we say 
prophetic vision, to discover and outline certain peculiar and 
unmistakable properties of remedial agents when introduced 
into the system in this special form, in marked contrast with 
the effects following the administration of crude drugs?" 

Influence of Tradition. — As further showing the influence 
of tradition may be mentioned the fact that the doctrine 
of signatures and also that of isopathy have been relegated 
to innocuous desuetude, being supplanted by organo-therapy 
and antitoxins, while Hering's psorine theory has given place 
to bacterins, so that today the medical profession occupies 
as it were the twilight zone or border-land between crude 
medication and scientific therapy. 

Nearly twenty years ago, the writer had some very 
interesting correspondence with the late Dr. Egbert Guern- 
sey, who wrote in regard to my teachings on the subject of 
cellular therapy, asking if I was not likely to arrive at the 
same conclusions as Hahnemann, proceeding by a different 
route. I replied to the effect that I did not think so, because 
my studies were conducted with a view to determine the 
selective action of remedies upon the cellular structures, 
while Hahnemann's object appeared to be for the purpose 
of determining the effect of remedies upon the body as an 
entity. 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES. 

A New Factor in Disease — A Question in Dietetics — Magnesia in 
Excess — Ash Constituents of Food Materials (Tabulation). 

Dietary Studies — Teacher's Family, Indiana — Mill Workman's 
Family, Pittsburg — Negro Farmer's Family, Alabama. 

Mechanism of the Nervous System — Chorea (St. Vitus' Dance) — 
Infantile Paralysis — Insomnia — Mucous Catarrh and Skin Diseases. 

The Chemic Problem — Assimilation, Primary and Secondary — 
Magnesium Infiltration — Nature of Magnesia Deposits. 

Injurious Effects of Magnesium on Plant Life (illustrated) — 
Electrolytes from Plant Growth — Regulating Medication — Ash Con- 
stituents Required Daily (Tabulation). 

Pellagra — A Disorder of Nutrition — Normal Acidity of Corn Meal 
— Chemic Constituents of Corn — Deficiency of Lime and its Effects. 



A NEW FACTOR IN DISEASE. 

Within recent years marked changes have taken place 
in all lines of human endeavor — largely due to the careful 
study and observation of a comparatively limited number 
of persistent toilers in various fields. Notwithstanding the 
vast accumulation of scientific facts, the value of which is 
unquestioned, there is a notable dearth of information 
relating to adaptability, so that many discoveries of far- 
reaching significance lie dormant for years. This unfortu- 
nate state of affairs is usual, or shall we say, common, 
owing to the fact that scientific attainments and utilitarian 
proclivities do not go hand in hand. The scientist is con- 
cerned alone with a demonstration in the abstract; the 
concrete evidence is adduced to support the abstract 
theories, when his work is finished. We have now reached 
a period in modern civilization, however, when utilitarian- 
ism has taken an advanced position, when the scientific 
aspect of a discovery or an invention is studied with a view 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 93 

to determine its adaptability from a commercial or an 
humanitarian standpoint, both being regarded as of para- 
mount importance by the political economist. And this 
brings us to the subject in hand, a new factor in disease. 

To the layman, such announcements are of almost daily 
occurrence; moreover, he is not personally interested, unless 
he chances to be under medical treatment, in which case he 
will want to know whether or not it has any reference to 
his particular ailment — so that he may consult his medical 
attendant. The ordinary physician having been deluged 
with literature upon abstruse topics relating to bacteriology, 
far too scientific for his comprehension, will give little heed 
to inquiries, believing or assuming that science has finally 
reached the limit. Specialists, more enterprising, are quick 
to investigate innovations which have a direct bearing upon 
their specialty, but they must be thoroughly convinced of 
adaptability. 

Such being the outlook, the task of developing the funda- 
mental basis of this new factor in disease appears herculean. 
Still, the difficulties are not insuperable — the most serious 
obstacle being the fact that the deviation from normal has 
hitherto escaped attention at the hands of the general 
practitioner as well as the specialist and experimental 
investigator. It is not only difficult to swerve from the 
beaten track — of tradition — but it is even more serious to 
admit error. To rectify an oversight which has passed 
unobserved for generations requires not only moral courage 
on the part of the claimant; he must also be prepared to 
submit the indisputable evidence in proof of his contention 
— and this, the writer feels amply qualified to produce, in 
extenso. 

A Question in Dietetics. — This new factor in disease is in 
reality a question in dietetics and its presence as well as its 
persistence is susceptible of proof by the ordinary methods 
familiar to physiologic chemists. In fact, it has to deal 
almost exclusively with the deviations incident to the 
chemistry of digestion. Thus, it trenches upon human 
welfare, touching all points of the compass — in short, it 



94 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

appeals to the individual, both young and old, male and 
female alike, because a knowledge of its presence makes for 
health as well as longevity. How many sufferers from 
indigestion with its attendant train of sequelae would be 
glad to know why and how it was brought about? To afford 
the general reader a reliable and accurate method for 
determining the true cause for his illness would appear 
Utopian, and yet it is accomplished by means of a very 
simple test — an evidence of adaptability. Applying the 
terms used by modern advocates of "System," in the 
domain of commerce, this "adaptability" might be regarded 
as an illustration of scientific efficiency in therapeutics. 

Magnesia in Excess. — Magnesia in excess is the factor 
responsible for the indigestions and also for most of the 
prevalent chronic ailments, whether organic or functional. 
In addition, it should be added that magnesia in excess 
develops coincident with the progress of acute diseases, and 
accounts for prolonged convalescence. In many instances 
we are even able to trace susceptibility directly to this 
abnormal condition, so that early recognition of this particular 
deviation from normal becomes a matter of prime importance 
to those apparently in robust health. To the afflicted and 
semi-invalid this discovery might be the means of enabling 
them to regain health and happiness, because it makes 
for simplicity and efficiency. The practical value of these 
suggestions is perhaps more forcibly brought forward in 
the accompanying tabulation, since it enables the reader 
to understand and appreciate the disadvantages arising 
from an unsuitable dietary — in other words, it shows how 
the milk gets into the cocoanut. In this tabulation I 
have included a fairly complete list of dietary articles — 
animal foods, cereals, vegetables, fruits, etc. — making up 
the usual diet of adults and children, the estimated "ash 
constituents" being taken from the comprehensive mono- 
graph, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus in Food and 
Nutrition (1910), prepared by Sherman, Mettler, and 
Sinclair, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University 
(New York). 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 95 



Ash Constituents of Food Materials — Estimated. 



Food Materials. Percent. 

Animal Foods, Cereals, etc. orid™ 

Meats (per 100 grams protein) . (0 . 076) 
Fish and shellfish (per 100 grams 

protein) (0.180) 

Eggs 0.100 

Butter (and butterine) . . . .022 
Buttermilk (estimated as milk) . 172 

Cheese 1.240 

Cottage cheese 100 

Milk, whole 172 

Cream 147 

Barley, pearled 025 

Corn meal 009 

Hominy (as old process meal) . .014 
Oatmeal (including rolled oats, 

etc.) ........ .078 

Rice 012 

Wheat flour (crackers and maca- 
roni) 02S 

Graham flour and entire wheat 

flour (assumed) 037 

Flaked wheat breakfast food . . 043 

Bread 021 

Chocolate 141 

Molasses 355 

Maple syrup 123 

Honey 005 

Vegetables. 

Asparagus 038 

Beans, pea, dried 215 

Beans, kidney, dried 226 

Beans, lima, dried 106 

Beans, string, fresh 073 

Beets 019 

Cabbage 058 

Carrots 077 

Celery 094 

Corn, canned or green ... . 045 

Cucumbers 02S 

Eggplant 017 

Greens, turnip-tops 508 

Greens, soup greens (assumed) . .080 

Horseradish 136 

Lettuce 045 

Onions 040 

Parsnips 076 

Peas, dried 137 





Surplus proportions : 


Per cent. 


Calcium oxide to 


Magnesium 


magnesium 


oxide. 


oxide 




(0.190) 


1.00 to 


2.50 


(0.230) 


1 . 00 to 


1.27 


0.015 


6.66 to 


1.00 


.001 


22.00 to 


1.00 


.018 


9.55 to 


1.00 


.049 


25.30 to 


1.00 


.015 


6.66 to 


1.00 


.018 


9.55 to 


1.00 


.015 


9.80 to 


1.00 


.100 


1.00 to 


4.00 


.132 


1.00 to 


14.66 


.196 


1.00 to 


14.00 


.249 


1.00 to 


3.19 


.060 


1.00 to 


5.00 


.026 


1.07 to 


1.00 


.150 


1.00 to 


4.05 


.239 


1.00 to 


5.55 


.019 


1.10 to 


1.00 


.483 


1 . 00 to 


3.42 


.176 


2.01 to 


1.00 


.100 


1.23 to 


1.00 


.030 


1.00 to 


6.00 


.017 


2.23 to 


1.00 


.252 


1.00 to 


1.17 


.261 


1.00 to 


1.15 


.311 


1.00 to 


2.93 


.050 


1.46 to 


1.00 


.029 


1.00 to 


1.52 


.021 


2.76 to 


1.00 


.032 


2.50 to 


1.00 


.027 


3.38 to 


1.00 


.070 


1.00 to 


1.55 


.018 


1 .55 to 


1.00 


.037 


1 . 00 to 


2.17 


.036 


14.11 to 


1.00 


.030 


2.66 to 


1.00 


.038 


3.57 to 


1.00 


.012 


3 . 75 to 


1.00 


.015 


2.66 to 


1.00 


.044 


1 . 72 to 


1.00 


.204 


1 . 00 to 


1.48 



96 



DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 



Per cent. 

Vegetables. C ^T 

Peas, canned 023 

Potatoes 016 

Potatoes, sweet 025 

Pumpkins 032 

Radishes 025 

Rhubarb ........ .060 

Rutabagas 103 

Spinach 064 

Tomatoes 019 

Tomatoes, canned 019 

Turnips 087 

Vegetable soup (canned, con- 
densed) 026 

Watercress 259 

Fruits. 

Apples 011 

Apples, evaporated 037 

Apricots 021 

Bananas 009 

Blackberries 079 

Blueberries 045 

Cherries _ 026 

Cranberries 021 

Currants 046 

Currants, dried 169 

Figs, dried 280 

Grapes 014 

Grape jelly 009 

Grapefruit 029 

Huckleberries 037 

Oranges 043 

Peaches, dried 048 

Peaches 015 

Pears 018 

Pears, canned 008 

Pineapples 038 

Plums 022 

Plums, jam, canned 014 

Prunes 063 

Raisins 042 

Raspberries 072 

Strawberries 057 

Watermelons 018 

Miscellaneous. 

Pie, apple (assumed) 030 

Pie, cream (assumed) 040 

Pie, custard (assumed) . . . .060 

Pie, mince 044 

Pie, squash 030 



Surplus proportions: 
Per cent. Calcium oxide to 
Magnesium magnesium 

oxide. oxide. 



.034 


1.00 to 1.47 


.040 


1.00 to 2.50 


.019 


1.31 to 1.00 


.014 


2.28 to 1.00 


.019 


1.31 to 1.00 


.010 


6.00 to 1.00 


.031 


3.32 to 1.00 


.053 


1.20 to 1.00 


.016 


1.18 to 1.00 


.016 


1.18 to 1.00 


.029 


3.00 to 1.00 


.021 


1.23 to 1.00 


.046 


5.63 to 1.00 


.014 


1.00 to 1.27 


.054 


1.00 to 1.45 


.019 


1.10 to 1.00 


.035 


1.00 to 3.55 


.037 


2.13 to 1.00 


.015 


3.00 to 1.00 


.027 


1.00 to 1.03 


.012 


1.75 to 1.00 


.026 


1.76 to 1.00 


.076 


2.22 to 1.00 


.144 


1.94 to 1.00 


.019 


1.00 to 1.35 


.015 


1.00 to 1.66 


.015 


1.93 to 1.00 


.027 


1.37 to 1.00 


.016 


2.68 to 1.00 


.093 


1.00 to 1.93 


.015 


1.00 to 1.00 


.014 


1.28 to 1.00 


.007 


1.14 to 1.00 


.027 


1.40 to 1.00 


.019 


1.15 to 1.00 


.012 


1.16 to 1.00 


.084 


1.00 to 1.33 


.070 


1.00 to 1.66 


.037 


1.93 to 1.00 


.036 


1.58 to 1.00 


.022 


1.00 to 1.22 


.030 


1.00 to 1.00 


.030 


1.33 to 1.00 


.030 


2.00 to 1.00 


.037 


1.18 to 1.00 


.015 


2.00 to 1.00 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 97 

While it would be unwise to draw any sweeping deduc- 
tions from the foregoing tabulation, it must be evident to 
even the casual observer that both adults and children 
may receive too large a percentage of magnesia from the 
food taken, in which case there is a dislike for certain foods, 
showing that they fail to receive a properly "balanced 
ration." How unfortunate, then, when parents insist upon 
children eating certain foods, despite their protest when, as 
a matter of fact, the child's stomach affords a more reliable 
criterion — in respect to calcium and magnesium — than can 
be obtained by the most painstaking laboratory studies; 
but the demands of the stomach must be properly inter- 
preted to insure perfect nutrition and symmetrical develop- 
ment. This rule applies with equal force in the case of 
adults. With a reasonable degree of care, the demand of 
the stomach is a fairly reliable guide, always bearing in 
mind that the form is far more important that the substance 
in dietetics. Thus, a child suffering from excess of mag- 
nesia, will refuse corn meal, graham bread, flaked wheat 
and honey, while readily eating oatmeal, plain bread and 
molasses or maple syrup, because of the lower percentage 
of magnesia in the latter combination. Again, the same 
child, if given bread and butter, will quietly skim off the 
butter, leaving the bread, because there is a craving for the 
calcium content of the butter, twenty-two times as much 
calcium as magnesia. Let the bread be saturated with 
molasses or syrup and it quickly disappears, owing to the 
demand for readily oxidizable substances to produce heat — 
a scientific fact which accounts for the almost universal 
craving for candy and sweets on the part of children and 
adolescents. Still, it should be noted that such food-stuffs 
differ materially from what might be termed the substan- 
tiate, such as eggs, milk, and cream, which contain from 
six to ten times as much calcium as magnesia, this adapta- 
bility being more fully developed in the accompanying 
tabulations. 



98 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 



DIETARY STUDIES. 

In this connection, it will be worth while to reproduce 
certain "Dietary Studies" included in the monograph 
referred to — as a means of showing the relative proportions 
of calcium and magnesia ingested with food under different 
conditions in respect to occupation and environment. They 
must be accepted as presenting "careful estimates of the 
actual amounts consumed by typical people living under 
normal conditions and with freely chosen food." 

Dietary Study of a Teacher's Family, Indiana. — " This study 
was made in March, 1895, and continued fourteen days. 
The family consisted of four men and two women. One of the 
men was a professor of mathematics, one an instructor in 
chemistry, the other two were college students. The younger 
woman was also a teacher. The total food consumed was equiva- 
lent to that of one man for seventy-eight days. The food eaten 
furnished 106 grams of protein, and 2,780 calories, at a cost of 
18 cents per man per day. 

"The table below shows the amounts and kinds of food 
used, together with the estimated amounts of lime and 
magnesia . . . furnished by each and by the diet as 
a whole." 

Attention should be directed to the relative proportions 
of lime (calcium), and magnesia supplied by the various 
foods. Thus, of the food eaten, 111.132 grams, the bulk, 
99.399 grams, came from eggs and milk, while the magnesia 
content was derived principally from meats, milk, corn 
meal, flour and crackers, beans and potatoes, the proportion 
of lime to magnesia being approximately 3| to 1. 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 99 
Estimated Ash Constituents in Dietary Study No. 44. 

Calcium Magnesium 

Food Materials and Weight of Edible Portion. G r ^ £?^ s 

Meats: Beef, veal, pork and lamb (total meat 

protein 3,413 grams) 2.593 6.484 

Eggs, 4,705 grams 4.705 .705 

Butter, 1,785 grams 392 .017 

Milk, 55,055 grams 94.694 9.909 

Mince-meat, 370 grams . 162 . 136 

Corn meal, 2,395 grams 215 3.161 

Hominy, 255 grams (as old process corn meal) . . 033 . 499 

Flour and crackers, 14,625 grams 4.095 3.802 

Oatmeal, 240 grams 187 .597 

Sugar, 6,605 grams .... .... 

Maple syrup, 895 grams 1.100 .895 

Honey, 425 grams 021 .127 

Beans, dried, 835 grams 1.795 2.104 

Cabbage, 2,890 grams 1.676 .606 

Corn, canned, 1,210 grams .544 .847 

Lettuce, 905 grams 407 .108 

Parsnips, 795 grams .604 .349 

Potatoes, 6,750 grams 1 . 080 2 . 700 

Radishes, 310 grams 077 .058 

Apples, 5,470 grams 601 .765 

Bananas, 1,420 grams .127 .497 

Cranberries, 355 grams . 074 . 042 

Oranges, 540 grams 232 .086 

Peaches, dried, 865 grams .415 .804 

Prunes, dried, 865 grams 277 .369 

Raisins, 45 grams .018 .031 

In total food 116.124 35.698 

In waste (4.3 per cent.) 4.992 1.535 

In food eaten 111.132 34.163 

Per man per day 1 . 42 .44 

Dietary Study of a Mill Workman's Family, Pittsburg.—" This 
study was begun in January, 1896, and continued twenty- 
nine days. The family consisted of two men, two women, and 
five children, aged respectively, thirteen, ten, seven and four- 
teen years, and 7 months. The family was in very poor cir- 
cumstances. The total number of meals taken was calculated 
by the usual factors as equivalent to the meals of one man for 
174 days. The food furnished one man per day was 77 grams 
protein and 2,440 calories, at a cost of 8.7 cents. 

"The table following shows the kinds and amounts of food 



100 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

used, together with the estimated amounts of lime and magnesia 
. furnished by each and by the diet as a whole." 

Estimated Ash Constituents in Dietary Study No. 129 

Calcium Magnesium 

Food Materials Used. G ^. ,£££ 

Meat: Beef and pork (total meat protein, 5,350 

grams) 4.066 10.165 

Oysters (protein, 32 grams) 057 .073 

Butterine, 3,910 grams (as butter) 860 .039 

Cheese, 1,860 grams 23.064 .911 

Milk, 14,745 grams 25.361 2.654 

Flour, 9,810 grams 2.746 2.550 

Oatmeal, 285 grams 222 .709 

Bread, cake, and rolls, 52,075 grams . . . . .... .... 

Pie, 3,720 grams 

Sugar, 10,455 

Beans, dried, 580 grams 1.247 1.461 

Beans, dried, lima, 1,330 grams 1.409 4.136 

Cabbage, 4,590 grams 2.662 .963 

Carrots, 670 grams 515 .214 

Celery, 200 grams 188 .054 

Onions, 3,445 grams 1.378 .516 

Parsnips, 655 grams 497 .288 

Potatoes, 21,215 grams 3.394 8.086 

Watercress, 115 grams .297 .052 

Rutabagas, 2,180 grams 1.264 .457 

Apples, 1,715 grams 188 .240 

Apple jelly, 365 grams . 025 .032 

In total food 69.440 33.600 

In waste (0.6 per cent.) . ...... .416 .201 

In food eaten 69.024 33.399 

Per man per day 396 . 192 

In this instance, it will be observed that the lime content 
was derived principally from cheese, milk, flour, cabbage 
and potatoes, amounting in all to 57.227 grams. Magnesia 
came from meats, milk, flour, beans and potatoes, in all, 
27.591 grams, with a ratio of 2 parts lime to 1 part magnesia, 
but the actual cost was less than half that of study No. 44. 

Dietary Study of a Negro Farmer's Family, Alabama. — "This 
study was made in January, 1896. The family consisted 
of a man and wife, and five children, the eldest of whom was 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 101 

eleven years old; total consumption of food being equivalent 
to the meals of one man fifty-nine days. The food furnished 
49 grams protein and 2,240 calories at the cost of three cents 
per man per day. 

"The table below shows the kinds and amounts of food used, 
together with the estimated amounts of lime and magnesia 
. furnished by each and by the diet as a whole." 

Estimated Ash Constituents in Dietary Study No. 100 

Calcium Magnesium 

Food Materials Used. G ° r ^ e 3 . ^ s . 

Meat: Bacon and lard (meat protein, 131 grams) .099 .248 

Flour, 9,470 grams 2.651 2.462 

Corn meal, 20,920 grams 1.882 27.614 

Rice, 710 grams 085 .426 

Collards, 255 grams (as cabbage) . 147 . 053 

In total food eaten 4.864 30.803 

Per man per day 082 .522 

Here we find a large preponderance of magnesia over 
lime, more than 6 parts to 1, nine-tenths of the total being 
derived from corn meal, a fact which has a direct bearing 
upon the prevalence of pellagra throughout the Southern 
states, since the intimate relation is susceptible of demon- 
stration. Such being the case, what shall w T e say regarding 
treatment with a death rate of 65 per cent., when routine 
methods include the employment of magnesia in some 
form? 

These dietary studies are exceptionally interesting and 
suggestive; they should also prove instructive. For example, 
we find by actual calculation that the teacher's family in 
Indiana takes daily more than seventeen times as much 
lime and only about five-sixths the amount of magnesia as 
compared with the negro's family in Alabama. Even at 
six times the cost, when we consider the physical and mental 
output, there can be no question as to adaptability. Viewed 
from the standpoint of public health, we can readily under- 
stand the disadvantages, not to say embarrassments, arising 
from a dietary containing magnesia — in excess — and that 



102 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

too, without dwelling upon the mortuary statistics — as will 
appear from a brief study of its effects upon the nervous 
svstem. 



MECHANISM OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 

Disease may be either seasonal or cyclic. Acute, infectious 
diseases, such as diphtheria, scarlet fever and measles, are 
expected when cold weather begins; diseases of children 
involving the digestive apparatus are always prevalent 
during the summer season; such disorders as tuberculosis, 
B right's disease and diabetes are cyclic; that is, there is an 
arrest in the progress, due to some occult influence which 
augments resistance from time to time. Xow, it can be 
shown that infectious diseases are more serious when the 
patient suffers from an excess of magnesia. Recognition of 
this new factor in the case of "summer complaint" in chil- 
dren would greatly diminish sickness, and besides, it would 
reduce the death-rate— it would require but a slight addi- 
tion of lime to the daily supply of milk. In the case of 
cyclic disorders, they would not appear at all had there not 
developed insidiously this chemic deviation in the relative 
proportions of lime and magnesia, all of which will be 
understood from a brief study of the nervous mechanism. 

The nervous system is comprised of three divisions, 
inter-related and inter-dependent: (1) Motor nerves have 
their origin in the brain and send motor nerve impulses — 
to the muscles, for example; (2) Sensory nerves carry 
sensory impulses to the brain, where they are interpreted — 
thus, we can distinguish the sensation of a scratch from 
that of a bruise; (3) Vasomotor nerves regulate or control 
the caliber of the blood vessels, so that sudden emotion or 
shock relaxes, while excitement or "stimulation" increases 
tension. 

These various functions, voluntary and involuntary, are 
conducted through the activity of the nerve cells, the latter 
being built up from microscopic bodies or cells called proto- 
plasm or protoplasmic cells, the physiologic unit of all living 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 103 

matter, animal or vegetable. Bearing in mind that these 
protoplasmic cells are organized structures possessing all the 
characteristics of life, nutrition, excretion, motility, repro- 
duction and response to stimuli, we cannot deny them 
mentation. Moreover, these protoplasmic cells respond to 
the usual and ordinary normal nerve stimuli, electric, thermic, 
mechanic, and chemic, in precisely the same manner as the 
body as a whole; hence, the logical deduction. 

Without cell mentation, life would be incomplete, lacking 
initiative as well as sensation — on a par with a lump of clay 
or a mass of conglomerate rock. Therefore, it is a safe 
proposition to claim that mentality will be diminished in 
direct proportion to the arrest of function or hindrance in 
the transmission of nerve impulses. This is well illustrated 
in the case of the negro farmer's family in Alabama, as 
contrasted with the teacher's family in Indiana, the mag- 
nesia excess acting as a brake upon initiative and mental 
development. 

Studied from the physical or physiologic standpoint, the 
effects are similar, if not identical, since the magnesia 
deposits likewise interfere with the purely vegetative func- 
tions, modifying nutrition, arresting excretion, inhibiting 
motility and laying an embargo upon reproduction, because 
these new combinations fail to respond to any of the normal 
nerve stimuli, except chemic. This clinical fact is conspic- 
uous as a result of acute illness, such as rheumatism, fol- 
lowed by pain and stiffness of the joints together with heart 
complications; typhoid fever, with a lingering convalescence 
and perhaps neuralgia or neuritis along with marked impair- 
ment in the nutrition of the bones incident to the lime 
depletion consequent upon the disease. Influenza arid 
pneumonia with their untoward sequelae may be cited as 
additional illustrations to confirm the working hypothesis 
of magnesium infiltration, the severity and persistence of 
these disorders being directly traceable to this factor. 
Proof of this is to be found in the results of treatment 
conducted for the sole purpose of correcting this chemic 
deviation, the effects being: immediate and marked. 



104 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Chorea (St. Vitus' dance) supplies an excellent illustration 
as well as a convincing demonstration. Beginning gradually, 
as a result of some obscure nerve derangement, over-exertion 
from study, play or work, excitement arising from fright, 
injury or society functions, and frequently without apparent 
cause, no treatment has proved reliable and successful — 
although a few weeks' sojourn in the country, without 
medication, often suffices to effect a permanent cure. This 
is evidently due to improved nutrition arising from a diet- 
ary richer in lime — the chemic problem in nutrition being 
automatic and self-adjusting. But chorea may be cured 
at home — without medication — by readjustment of the 
dietary; medical treatment should be confined to the employ- 
ment of lime salts alone, thus affording a demonstration of 
the potentiality of this new factor in disease. 

Infantile paralysis differs from chorea in respect to invasion, 
the onset being sudden, entirely unexpected and frequently 
not recognized for several days. While no doubt exists in 
the minds of scientists as to the causative factor, the exact 
nature of the infection is still unknown — but there is no 
reason or excuse for failure or refusal to remedy the effect 
upon the nerve structures involved. Assuming that the 
obstruction in the transmission of motor nerve impulses is 
due to factitious deposits of magnesia, a non-conductor of 
electricity, and that the case is of recent occurrence, the 
cellular structures still maintaining their organized char- 
acter, but unable to functionate, the administration of lime 
will effect chemic dissociation of the magnesia — when the 
lime takes its place, and eventually function is completely 
restored. Cases of long standing are less amenable to 
treatment; indeed, many such fail to show any response 
whatever to chemic stimuli, owing to the production of 
new tissue entirely different from the original — adventitious 
tissue — a subject more fully elaborated in studying the 
chemic problem. 

Insomnia, an almost universal affliction in the case of 
those engaged in sedentary employment, furnishes an 
apt illustration of another type or variety of magnesium 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 105 

infiltration, as compared with those previously studied. 
Considered as an entity, insomnia might be defined as — 
disseminated magnesium infiltration — in contra-distinetion 
to chorea and locomotor ataxia, where it is local or circum- 
scribed. Still, when studied from the chemic viewpoint, it 
is not difficult to trace its origin to digestive disturbances 
arising from lack of a properly " balanced ration" — in respect 
to lime and magnesia — because correction of this defect 
removes the chemic deviation, when the acute suscepti- 
bility or irritability of the nervous mechanism disappears. 

In answer to the question, "Why is insomnia?" the reply 
is ready at hand: Because the presence of magnesia in 
excess, hinders, impedes or destroys the uninterrupted 
transmission of nerve impulses — motor, sensory and vaso- 
motor. Consecutively arises the question, "How is it 
brought about?" and the answer is equally satisfactory: 
The digestion is faulty — tardy, imperfect or incomplete — 
giving rise to decomposition of animal foods with fermenta- 
tion of the starchy food-stuffs, thereby creating an excess 
of acid, not to mention the acidity due to the presence of 
bacteria. This acid, in turn, depletes the lime content of 
the cells, magnesia taking its place, because lime is the 
stronger base. The magnesia-charged cells lack certain 
essential properties required to sustain fife — both excretion 
and imbibition are at a standstill; they lose the power of 
motility and the capacity for reproduction, and they do not 
respond to any of the ordinary forms of nerve stimuli — 
except chemic. 

Farmers living in the so-called arid regions of the United 
States have learned by observation and experience that these 
magnesia-charged soils cannot support vegetable life. The 
reaction of the soil is acid, sour; the plant rootlets shrivel 
up, turn black and die. Hence, the demand for lime as an 
antidote, a chemic stimulus. By means of irrigation, these 
arid soils have become wonderfully productive, the soluble 
magnesia salts in excess being leached out. So, in the case 
of insomnia from the presence of magnesia in excess, we 
must use lime as an antidote to promote magnesium disso- 



106 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

ciation, together with an abundance of liquids to flush the 
tissues and neutralize acidity. 

The object of rational treatment, therefore, is to make the 
cells work, by placing them under normal conditions as 
regards their chemic status. Recalling the normal nerve 
stimuli, electric, thermic, mechanic and chemic, what 
besides temporary benefit is to be expected from electricity, 
from heat and cold, from mechano-therapy, or even from 
psychic stimulus, when we have to deal with a purely 
chemic deviation 9 

Mucous catarrh and skin diseases should be grouped when 
studying the mechanism of the nervous system, because 
they are mutually as well as sympathetically involved when 
magnesia develops or causes derangement of metabolism. 
This is a comprehensive term employed to cover nutrition, 
and includes all the various intricate chemic and physiologic 
processes incident to absorption and excretion — anabolism, 
or building up, and katabolism, or breaking down, diet 
being the essential factor in maintaining its integrity. As 
has been pointed out, impairment in nerve conduction is 
consecutive to magnesium infiltration; reversion in cell 
function follows, with defective assimilation and retention of 
poisonous waste products, when the mucous membrane 
and the skin take on a vicarious function, as seen in the 
diarrhea of summer complaint and tuberculosis, or the 
profuse night-sweats of chronic disease and following pneu- 
monia and typhoid fever. In all such instances we find 
a diminished alkalinity of the blood, owing to excessive 
acidity, together with magnesia in excess from the same 
cause. Correction of this chemic deviation will restore 
normal tissue change — when vicarious function ceases and 
health is restored. 



THE CHEMIC PROBLEM. 

The chemic problem in nutrition hinges upon the status 
of the reactions and reflexes, a subject partly explained in 
studying insomnia. It is of prime importance and will 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 107 

bear critical investigation. A brief discussion will be 
sufficient to show the practical bearings of these simple 
tests. In testing the chemic reaction of liquids, we employ 
litmus paper. When a fluid turns blue litmus paper red, it 
means acidity; if no discoloration takes place, it is alkaline 
or neutral. Now, under normal conditions, certain body 
fluids are acid — the perspiration, the urine and the contents 
of the stomach. Alkaline fluids include the blood, the 
saliva, the lymph and intestinal secretions. The bile and 
all the body tissues are normally alkaline — acid production, 
except in the stomach, being an excretion or end-product. 
The bile and pancreatic juice are always alkaline, but their 
relative alkalinity may be diminished when the body fluids 
and tissues become highly charged with acid incident to 
impairment of the digestive capactiy. When acid excess 
supervenes, the alkalinity is diminished, the oxygen-carry- 
ing capacity is lessened, and generally, this surplus acidity 
is shown in the saliva — which may be easily tested. In 
advance of this evidence, however, the intestinal secretions 
show acidity, indicated by symptoms of indigestion together 
with abnormal reflexes. 

A reflex is an involuntary action arising from nerve 
stimulus — electric, thermic, mechanic, or chemic. The 
so-called "knee-jerk" furnishes an apt illustration of 
mechanic stimulus. When one leg is thrown over the 
other, tapping the tendon below the knee-cap causes an 
upward movement of the foot, involuntary, because it is 
independent of the brain centres. When the nerve struc- 
tures are charged with magnesia, a non-conductor of elec- 
tricity, the knee-jerk is modified — diminished, exaggerated 
or absent altogether — and this peculiar electro-plating 
process involves the entire nervous system, motor, sensory, 
and vasomotor. Thus, we have a ready means at hand for 
determining the presence or absence of this new factor in 
disease — by testing the salivary reaction and the knee-jerk. 

A synopsis of assimilation, primary and secondary, will 
shed further light upon this intricate problem. Digestion, 
or primary assimilation begins when food is taken into the 



108 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

mouth. While mastication is going on, the ptyalin of the 
alkaline saliva acts upon the starchy foods, so that they 
enter the stomach partially digested, there to remain until 
discharged into the intestine. Only nitrogenous foods, or 
meats, are digested in the stomach — in an acid medium. 
After a variable period — two hours, more or less — the 
stomach begins to discharge its contents into the small 
intestine, where they come in contact with the alkaline 
bile combined with the pancreatic fluid, also alkaline, 
intestinal digestion being completed in alkaline medium. 
The bile acts only upon fats, along with steapsin from the 
pancreas, while amylopsin, also from the pancreas, com- 
pletes the digestion of starchy foods, begun in the mouth. 
However, it happens that some of the nitrogenous foods 
escape from the stomach in a partly digested form, when 
trypsin, another pancreatic ferment, which acts in both 
an alkaline and acid medium, proceeds to complete the 
digestion; but the outward flow from the stomach is guarded 
automatically by the degree of acidity and the capacity of 
the bile and pancreatic fluid to effect alkalescence of the 
product. Thus, we may estimate, although we cannot 
determine definitely the deleterious effect produced by 
acid excess — it delays digestion and favors decomposition 
of the nitrogenous foods by microbic action. Hence, the 
decided advantages of fasting for the relief and cure of 
chronic indigestion. 

Besides the ferments named, there are several other 
enzymes — unorganized ferments — which play an important 
part as "activators/' or chemic stimuli to promote the 
digestive secretions just as jelly added to bread and butter 
increases palatability. Microbic digestion should not be 
overlooked. For example, excessive acidity may so hinder 
the digestion of nitrogenous foods that they reach the lower 
portion of the small intestine imperfectly digested. Carry- 
ing with them the usual bacterial flora, decomposition 
develops to an alarming degree, and taking place in the 
immediate vicinity of the appendix, it is easy to understand 
how infection may extend, giving rise to appendicitis. 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 109 

Secondary assimilation, involving as it does the trans- 
formation of inanimate food substances into living, organ- 
ized tissue, is a more complicated problem. That portion 
which is converted into animal tissue undergoes what is 
termed a physiologic change; the separation of inorganic 
substances for bone-making purposes involves a chemic 
change, but from what has been said, it will be apparent 
that the chemic status must be favorable, else there is 
impairment in nutrition. In other words, it is a practical 
impossibility to upbuild and maintain a normal, alkaline 
tissue from acid materials in an acid medium — because the 
cells refuse to work. Hence, the corollary: Impaired diges- 
tion gives rise to acidity; this in turn, leads to impaired 
nutrition, with more acidity and further embarrassment of 
the digestive capacity. Therefore, it is the part of wisdom 
to conserve the primary assimilation, to the end that this 
vicious circle may be avoided. 

Now comes an inquiry relating to this new factor in 
disease. The information advanced so far is common 
property. That acidity is the dominant factor in indigestion 
is an open book. When we begin to study the effects, local 
and systemic, attending acid excess, it is like entering a 
new and unexplored country. There are no beaten paths 
such as we have previously followed; nor do we find any 
land-marks or guide-posts, because no traveller has blazed 
the way. Hence, the necessity for plotting the territory 
and driving stakes for the guidance of future explorers. 

The first question naturally relates to the constitutional 
effects produced by acid excess — previously considered, but 
the explanation advanced is too superficial, since it merely 
deals with symptoms instead of basic or fundamental 
causes. This chemic deviation is responsible for radical 
changes in structure, which impede, hinder, or destroy the 
uninterrupted transmission of nerve impulses. How impair- 
ment in nutrition arises in consequence will be readily 
understood when it is stated that acid depletes the lime 
content of the tissues, including nerve tissue, magnesia 
taking its place. Magnesia-charged tissues do not function- 



110 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

ate like normal structures, as previously stated, because 
they are incapable of carrying the electric current, the 
energy responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses. 

Magnesium infiltration is substantially, an insulation 
process; it modifies the electric conductivity of the tissues, 
as pointed out in chorea and insomnia. When it involves 
the motor nerves, the muscles which they supply are para- 
lyzed — as in infantile paralysis. When sensory nerve trunks 
are affected, as in locomotor ataxia, sensation is abolished. 
In both instances there are characteristic disturbances of 
the reflexes together with acid reactions. 

Invading the vasomotor nerves, there is contraction or 
increased tension of the arteries and high blood-pressure, 
leading to apoplexy, paralysis and heart failure. The latter, 
a somewhat indefinite term, is satisfactorily explained on 
the basis of this working hypothesis — it is due to a "short- 
circuit" of the electric current, the heart being insulated. 
For example, in conversation with an expert mechanic 
recently, he related an interesting experience with his 
motorcycle. While riding along the road the machine 
would "buck" or jump back occasionally, much to his 
surprise. Examination of the battery showed that one of 
the wires had lost part of its insulating material, so that 
the explosion occurred at the wrong time, an apt illustration 
of the accident known as heart failure. Fortunately, these 
studies have led to a better understanding of the causative 
factors, so that it is now possible to discover and demon- 
strate the magnesia heart — and what is more to the purpose, 
the chemic deviation can be corrected and a fatal termina- 
tion avoided. 

Nature of Magnesia Deposits. — Finally, a word in regard 
to the probable nature, or form in which magnesia deposits 
occur. In acute diseases, notably summer diseases of 
children, acidity is pronounced. A few hours suffices to 
deplete the lime, when replacement occurs, with profound 
nervous depression — because of the chemic deviation in the 
cells. 

In the case of neuritis, neuralgia, and neurasthenia, the 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 111 

reduced alkalinity of the blood is sufficient to effect a chemic 
union between the colloid (starch-like) particles of the 
nerve tissue and magnesium oxide, the latter being found 
in the system as a result of oxidation. We are indebted to 
Edison for this important discovery. In his experimental 
work to perfect the electric storage battery, it was found 
— after about nine thousand chemic tests extending over 
a period of two years — that magnesium oxide, or calcined 
magnesia, was the only substance which would precipitate 
organic colloids in alkaline solution and prevent "frothing." 

As age advances, there is a tendency to crystallization, 
when we find magnesia united with calcium — to produce 
hardening of the arteries, arterio-sclerosis, this constitutional 
effect being in evidence throughout the entire system. But 
this systemic effect may begin prematurely, when old age 
is precipitated. 

Thus, we have three types of magnesium infiltration: 
(1) Simple replacement; (2) Chemic transformation; and 
(3) United with calcium. In addition to this should be 
mentioned the probable and possible effects arising from 
the obstruction, aside from the various derangements of 
function already noted. For example, neuritis is only a 
technical term for inflammation of a nerve. Inflammation 
long continued is liable to destroy the tissues and lead to 
the formation of new structure entirely different from 
the original. Should bacteria find access to the inflamed 
area, there is pus-formation and perhaps septic infection, 
so that for all practical purposes, there is no escape from 
the deleterious effects of magnesia in all kinds of sickness, 
acute, subacute, and chronic. It is a mistake to say that a 
person is "run down," that his nervous system is "shattered" 
and that he needs "rest" or "exercise," determined by the 
personal equation of the medical attendant. Rather, we 
should say that a person is lop-sided, because of acid excess, 
that chemic deviation has electro-plated his nerves, so that 
his batteries don't work, and that the vegetative functions 
are temporarily suspended — all due to derangement of the 
digestive apparatus. 



112 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

These teachings make for simplicity and efficiency in the 
treatment of disease, by throwing a strong search-light upon 
certain well known scientific facts which have thus far 
escaped attention — their adaptability has been overlooked. 
Fundamental in character, however, their practical appli- 
cation is not questioned. Hence, the wide-spread preval- 
ence of sickness may be checked and the waste of human 
life arrested. There is no demand for expensive apparatus 
or costly appliances, and a complete knowledge of the 
methods available may be gleaned from our text-books 
on physiology, without reading between the lines, so that 
only sheer wilfulness and fatuous tradition interpose to 
prevent their immediate realization. 



INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF MAGNESIUM ON PLANT LIFE. 

Laboratory studies, showing the injurious effects of mag- 
nesium on the growth of plants, are especially interesting in 
this connection, since the "Food Problem" in plant and ani- 
mal life is essentially the same, at least, this is true in respect 
to calcium and magnesium. The monograph, by True and 
Bartlett, 1 supplies a number of graphic illustrations, so that 
a brief reference to them here will, in a measure, confirm the 
claims already advanced. As a matter of fact, these experi- 
ments present ocular demonstration — perhaps more con- 
vincing to the skeptics than dialectics, although it is like 
proving an axiom or exposing an absurdity — a waste of 
energy. 

The experiments were made with field peas grown in 
solutions of calcium and magnesium nitrates, singly in 
varying strengths as well as in combination, and relate 
exclusively to the purely physical results. The authors 
intend following up this work by studies of other plants and 
other solutions, but most important is this announcement: 

1 Absorption and Excretion of Salts by Roots, as Influenced by 
Concentration and Composition of Culture Solutions, Washington, 
D. C., 1912. 






M 







p 

Illustrating "The Food I 



Represents the de 
the a 




Fig. 1. — Seedlings of Culture 4, Experiment C. Fig. 4. — Seedlings ( 

Reproduced from Absorption and Excretion of Salts by Roots, as Influenc 

by Rodney H. True 

The Chemic I 



E I 

vt, with Dietary Studies." 

ion in pea seedlings incident to Magnesium Nitrate — in solution — with 
action of Calcium. Duration of experiment, seven days. 




tE 10, Experiment C. 



Fig. 8. — Seedlings of Culture 14, Experiment C. 



centration and Composition of Culture Solutions, Washington, D, C, 1912, 
:ley Harris Bartlett. 



[ in Nutrition. 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, JVITH DIETARY STUDIES 113 

"Future work will be directed toward determining the chemic 
composition of the culture solutions after plants have grown in 
them, and also of the plant roots themselves, in the hope that 
the results may throw further light upon the mechanism of 
permeability/' 

The method of procedure consisted in setting up cultures 
of seedlings in glass beakers, four in each, when the primary 
root has attained a length of 4 or 5 centimeters — and before 
the appearance of any laterals. The experiments, shown 
in the accompanying illustrations, were continued for one 
week, at which time the plants had reached the maximum 
development, and as the authors comment, they show "the 
striking contrast between a dead, unbranched primary 
root, and a luxuriantly developed root system with vigorous 
laterals. The intermediate cultures showed a perfect 
transition between these two conditions." 

The cuts (Experiment C.) show in the most graphic 
manner possible, the deterioration attending the presence of 
magnesium alone — in excess — and also the revivifying 
effects of calcium. The marked effect of infinitesimal 
quantities is almost incredible. For instance, referring to 
Experiment 5, the authors say: 

"The concentration of calcium nitrate which made the dif- 
ference between roots with almost no laterals and roots with 
well developed laterals, was 1 part, by weight, of calcium in 
50,000,000 parts of water." 

Here is the report on the condition of roots (Experiment 
C), when photographed: (Plate I.) 

Fig. 1. — Culture Xo. 4 — Primary dead; no laterals. 
Fig. 4. — Culture Xo. 10 — Laterals more numerous and somewhat 
longer than in Xo. 9. 

Fig. S. — Culture Xo. 14 — Root system perfectly developed. 

Another series of cultures (Experiment 3, same period) 
shows the marked contrast between magnesium and calcium, 



114 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

each alone, in more concentrated solutions (Figs. 11 and 
13), and for comparison, I have added Fig. 16, from the 
same experiment, showing root development in distilled 
water. (Plate II.) 

The monograph covers a complete record of eight experi- 
ments, each including fourteen cultures, all of them having 
a direct bearing upon the chemic problem in nutrition, since 
the logical deductions are destined to exercise a far-reaching 
influence upon the future treatment of disease. They 
emphasize the claim for simplicity and efficiency — and they 
also foreshadow practical methods for insuring health and 
promoting longevity. 

Electrolytes from Plant Growth. — It would be interesting 
and instructive to study the peculiarities noted in the 
electrolytes, that is, the conductivity of the culture solutions 
before, during and at the end of the experiments, the rate 
of absorption and excretion in dilute and concentrated 
solutions of calcium and magnesium alone, in equivalent 
solutions, graded, and in solutions containing both in con- 
stant ratio, but varying in concentration, but such investi- 
gations more properly come within the domain of laboratory 
research. It will suffice to reproduce here the " Conclusions" 
as follows : 

1. That there is a definite concentration for each salt or mix- 
ture of salts at which the roots of peas absorb and excrete 
electrolytes at the same rate; 

2. That if a culture solution is initially less concentrated 
than this equilibrium concentration, excretion from the roots 
over-balances absorption; 

3. That if a solution is initially more concentrated than this 
equilibrium, absorption over-balances excretion; 

4. That absorption from solutions initially above equilibrium 
concentration may carry them far below this concentration; 

5. That the extent to which pea roots can carry the concen- 
tration of a solution below equilibrium concentration depends 
upon the ratio of magnesium to calcium; 



Illustrating "The Food 

Shows by contrast the effects of Magnesium and Calcium on pe 

by comparison. Dur; 




Fig 11. — Seedlings of Culture 2, Experiment 3. 



Fig. 13. — Seedlings ( 



Reproduced from Absorption and Excretion of Salts by Roots, as Influencec 

by Rodney H. True 



The Chemic I 



II 



d, with Dietary Studies/ 



gs in solutions of equal strength; also the effect of distilled water, 
experiment, seven days. 





tB 12, Experiment 3. 



Fig. 16. — Seedlings of Culture 14, Experiment 3. 



mtration and Composition of Culture Solutions, Washington, D. C, 1912, 
ley Harris Bartlett. 






[ in Nutrition. 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 115 

6. The molecular ratio which favors maximum absorption 
is h 

7. That the ratio of magnesium to calcium which insures 
good development of pea roots is -f, if the solutions are so con- 
centrated that their magnesium content alone would inhibit 
the development of lateral roots; 

8. That this ratio is nearer ^ if the solutions are so dilute 
that the magnesium content alone would not inhibit the devel- 
opment of lateral roots. 

Regulating Medication. — Various questions now arise 
relating to medication — when it has been shown by clinical 
investigation that we have to deal with magnesium in excess 
in the body fluids and tissues. Were it possible to obtain 
photographs of the nerves, or say, the tissues of an organ 
such as the liver, the heart, the kidneys, or the brain, we 
could make a rough estimate of the deterioration, but not 
to the same extent as in the case of plants. An examination 
of the blood would afford but relative information, owing 
to the variable concentration — excretion from the tissues 
being augmented by dilution beyond the equilibrium, while 
absorption is favored by concentration. 

This probably accounts for the almost universal mandate 
to drink plenty of water — an utterly useless procedure when 
it is recalled that the magnesium is held in chemic com- 
bination with the soft tissues the same as in bone. "Water- 
drinkers" overlook the dangers of washing the magnesia 
out of their bones as well as their brains. 

Another therapeutic absurdity confronts us should we 
attempt to counteract magnesium infiltration by administer- 
ing calcium on the same basis as anemia is treated — by 
employing thirty to fifty times as much iron as is furnished 
by the daily diet. A person would have to take a table- 
spoonful of slaked lime three times a day. 

According to Langworthy, 1 "A recent estimate of mineral 



1 Langworthy, Food Customs and Diet in American Homes, Wash- 
ington, D. C, 1911. 



116 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

matter required per man per day calls for the following 
amounts: 

Estimated Ash Constituents Required Daily. 

Grains. Grams. 

Calcium oxide .... 10| to 15 0.7 to 1 

Magnesium oxide . . . 4£ to 1\ 0.3 to 0.5 

(Iron tV to | 0.006 to 0.012) 

In order to determine a rational basis for medication, 
therefore, we must be guided by the requirements of the 
body under normal conditions conjointly with the evidences 
brought forward relating to the deleterious effects of mag- 
nesia upon plant life, together with the antidotal action of 
calcium. Thus, in the case of children, suffering from acute 
bowel disorders ("summer complaint") , where replacement 
has occurred, a comparatively small dose of calcium, acting 
according to the law of mass, will produce an immediate and 
marked improvement. Owing to the rapid tissue change 
in children and adolescents — with a normal electrolyte — 
tissue repair is prompt and permanent; that is, relapses do 
not occur, such as we see following the employment of 
antiseptics. 

In the case of chorea, the dose should be larger than in 
acute disorders, because of the fact that magnesia involves 
the entire nervous mechanism, but the beneficial effects are 
notably prompt. Enlargement of the thyroid gland — in 
young women — readily yields to precisely the same treatment 
as chorea. 

In adults we have to deal with chemic transformation, 
attended with more or less inflammatory reaction, along 
with a tendency to new tissue formation; hence, the demand 
for an alterative, in addition to the calcium, to cause disin- 
tegration of the inflammatory deposits and promote absorp- 
tion. Treatment of such cases differs in no essential from 
that of Jacksonian epilepsy, arising from disease of, or injury 
to, the cerebral cortex. It is an interesting study to note 
the effects of chemic stimulation — the severity of the attacks 
is diminished, they are less frequent, and soon subside 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 117 

altogether, while the mental condition of the patient shows 
improvement from day to day. 

Coming now to the central idea, diseases of the nervous 
system, and assuming that the entire list may be classed in 
the same category, due either directly or indirectly to 
magnesium infiltration, the question arises: How shall we 
regulate medication? 

Taking neurasthenia as an illustration, I have grouped 
the chemic deviations under three distinct headings: 

(1) Dominant, or primary; 

(2) Consecutive, or secondary; 

(3) Incidental, or symptomatic. 

Studying the toxic action of magnesium upon plant rootlets, 
arresting growth and development, the reader will readily 
concede that we may have the counterpart in animal life. 

For the purpose of identification, or diagnosis, the effect of 
chemic deviation may be symmetrical, as in infantile par- 
alysis; it may also be localized, as in neuritis and Jacksonian 
epilepsy, or disseminated, as in chorea and neurasthenia. 
Again, the area involved may be circumscribed, as in Ray- 
naud's disease, a single organ may suffer, as the pancreas in 
diabetes, the kidneys in Bright's disease, or certain portions 
of the cutaneous envelope, as in eczema. Besides, we may 
have a local manifestation which presents a symptom- 
complex, or syndrome, as in thyroid enlargement, while still 
another peculiarity relates to invasion of the nerve mechan- 
ism — the motor tracts to the exclusion of the sensory tracts, 
and vice versa. Thus, in arterio-sclerosis, the vasomotor 
nerves alone appear to be involved, although this is but a 
superficial view. 

Aside from the intercurrent or incidental symptoms, arising 
for the most part from the constitutional invasion, in neuras- 
thenia we have to deal with disseminated infiltration — due 
to the chemic union of magnesium oxide with the organic 
colloids of the nerve structures. For experimental purposes 
we might give calcium in small doses, either in proportion 
to the body weight or to the estimated weight of the blood. 
Thus, to a man weighing 156 pounds (1,092,000 grains), or 



118 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

a woman, weighing 117 pounds (819,000 grains), when we 
administer a dose of one grain, we have the following pro- 
portions, by actual weight: 

Dose, 1 grain— Man = 1 to 1,092,000; 
Dose, 1 grain— Woman = 1 to 819,000. 

Calculated on the basis of the weight of blood, 1 pound to 
13 of body weight, we have the following: 

Dose, 1 grain — Man = 1 to 84,000; 
Dose, 1 grain— Woman = 1 to 63,000. 

Referring to the preceding tabulation, showing the average 
daily intake of calcium to be 10.5 to 15 grains, the suggestion 
to employ a single grain three times a day will be denounced 
as absurd, but this is the actual dosage usually employed 
in the cases of neurasthenia reported in a later section. Not 
only that, it is the dosage employed in Jacksonian epilepsy, 
infantile paralysis, neuritis, neuralgia, Raynaud's disease, 
and magnesia heart, confirming the claims for simplicity 
and efficiency. 

In addition to calcium, however — magnesia is rarely 
demanded — we must take measures to restore the normal 
condition of the electrolyte as regards chemic reaction — that 
is, we must restore the normal alkalinity of the blood; and 
besides, an alterative is essential, to promote absorption of 
inflammatory products, all of which is fully elaborated in 
the accompanying clinical reports. 



PELLAGRA. 

Pellagra is a disorder so closely related to dietary studies 
that it naturally falls into line in connection with the fore- 
going records, the disease having recently developed in this 
country. The earlier reports showed alarming mortuary 
statistics, and even now, those who escape a fatal termina- 
tion find themselves seriously handicapped both mentally 
and physically — in consequence of chemic deviations taking 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 119 

place in the tissues which interfere with normal tissue 
change, or metabolism. 

A Disorder of Nutrition. — While diseased or decomposing 
grain (corn) is now recognized as the pathologic factor, in 
view of the imperfect recoveries which follow attacks, we 
must look further to discover the indirect, secondary or 
consequential effects, and the present inquiry will be limited 
to this question. Necessarily, of course, it must include a 
consideration of the therapeutic measures which are best 
adapted to overcome or counteract the effect of the disease 
upon the health. In other words, it will endeavor to explain 
how pellagra disorders nutrition, and further, the investiga- 
tion, by logical deduction, will point out the line of treat- 
ment which should be adopted in such cases. In the opinion 
of the writer, the underlying causative factor is to be 
found in magnesium infiltration, a pathologic condition in 
which there is depletion of the lime content of the nuclear 
proteid, being the counterpart of that which occurs in 
plant life when magnesium salts in excess cause destruction 
and death of the protoplasm, since magnesia acts as an 
insulator, impeding the uninterrupted transmission of nerve 
impulses. 

Normal Acidity of Corn Meal. — A significant factor in this 
connection relates to the normal acidity of corn meal; that 
is to say, when corn meal of good quality is submitted to 
the usual chemic tests it shows a relative acidity varying 
from 13 to 25 per cent. When corn meal of an inferior 
quality — due to decomposition from various causes — is 
tested, the acidity is found notably increased, in some 
cases running as high as 95 per cent. 

Apparently then, the indigestions must be largely due. to 
this increased acidity, even without including nitrites as a 
factor, because nearly all the corn meal in general use at 
the present time is obtained from degerminated grain — the 
mineral salts being confined almost entirely to the germ 
itself. 

With this explanation, we can readily understand how 
pellagra may appear in endemic form in different institutions, 



120 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

when the food supplies are purchased from the lowest bidder 
and no chemic tests conducted to determine their purity. 
On this basis also, we can account for the appearance of 
sporadic cases and local outbreaks — evidently due to the 
employment of a decomposing food product characterized 
by an excessive acidity. 

That all patients in an institution, or all persons in a 
given locality are not equally affected, is no argument 
against the deduction. There must be individual suscepti- 
bility, just as there is susceptibility to typhoid infection 
from water or milk — and the writer is of the opinion that 
this peculiar susceptibility is due to identical conditions in 
both instances, the chemic deviation designated acid excess. 

No one will seriously question the statement that the 
ingestion of decomposing grain will give rise to symptoms 
of indigestion; and in the light of recent pathologic findings 
it will be readily admitted that distinct organic changes take 
place consecutively, not only in the intestinal tract, but in 
the superficial tissues as well, all going to show the profound 
impression produced upon the trophic nervous system. It 
would be interesting also to consider the coincident acidity 
associated with practically all forms of indigestion, by which 
a vicious circle is established, tending to make permanent 
a temporary indisposition. In other words, a clearly mani- 
fested indigestion will not be followed by spontaneous 
recovery — reasonable care being required in respect to diet. 
Inasmuch as the medical profession as a whole does not 
concede this hypothesis, this factor will be referred to 
merely incidentally, since the evidence will be quite sufficient 
to confirm the working hypothesis. 

Chemic Constituents of Corn. — The first question to be 
considered has to deal with the chemic constituents of the 
grain itself. Does the distribution of lime and magnesia 
in maize differ from that of other grains to such an extent as 
to warrant criticism on the score of chemic composition? 

The following data from Liebig's investigations furnish a 
substantial basis for the suspicion assumed, these analyses 
being made by Osten, Way, Weber and others: 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 121 

Percentages of Lime and Magnesia in the Ash of the Grain 

of GRAMINE.E. 

Magnesia. Lime. 

Barley 8.29 2.48 

Oats 7.70 3.70 

Wheat 11.75 3.30 

Maize 13.60 0.57 

Rye (bran) 15.82 3.47 

It will be observed that there is a preponderance of mag- 
nesia in all the grains, but a marked discrepancy in the lime 
content of maize — by molecular weight, the average is 17 
molecules of lime to 100 molecules of magnesia. By absolute 
weight, we have the following: 

Preponderance of Magnesia oyer Lime. 

Barley 3.2621 times. 

Oats 2.0S00 times. 

Wheat 3.0560 times. 

Maize 24.0000 times. 

Rye 4.0560 times. 

In plain figures, maize contains nearly eight times as 
much magnesia as barley, twelve times as much as oats, 
eight times as much as wheat, and six times as much as rye 
— and the dangers of improperly cured rye as a food have 
long been recognized, a clinical fact which will serve to 
clear up the "mystery" relating to pellagra from decom- 
posed maize. 

In this connection should be mentioned certain pertinent 
facts concerning the effect upon plant growth from magnesia 
in excess, as well as that which attends a deficient supply of 
lime, all of which has been worked out in detail by Dr. 
Oscar Loew (The Physiological Role of Mineral Nutrients), 
since identical effects are reproduced in the human organism 
and may be studied at the bed-side. 

Deficiency of Lime and Its Effects. — "Stohman kept maize 
shoots alive for some time in a culture solution free from 
lime, but all development gradually ceased with the con- 
sumption of the stored-up lime." At the end of several 
weeks, the addition of calcium nitrate produced striking 



122 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

effects — " hardly five hours elapsing before new buds pushed 
out from the sickly looking tips." The precise counterpart 
of this is seen in the case of cholera infantum — after the 
absolute failure of intestinal antiseptics together with the 
most approved dietary — administration of the appropriate 
lime salt enabling the patient to recover over night, conval- 
escence being well established within twenty-four hours. 

As further evidence that a deficiency of lime kills off the 
children, rich and poor alike, the observations of Heiden 
may be quoted: "Maize and peas in culture solution with- 
out lime live but four weeks, while in culture solutions 
without magnesia maize lived ten to twelve weeks and peas 
past eight weeks." 

An interesting and instructive record is credited to Dr. 
E. F. Smith, covering his investigations as to the relative 
proportions of lime and magnesia in the leaves of healthy 
and diseased peach trees — so-called "yellows." It was 
found that calcium oxide in diseased leaves was diminished 
twenty-five to fifty per cent., while magnesium oxide was 
increased in like percentages — in one instance the magnesium 
oxide was nearly five times that found in healthy trees. 

A note should be made here to the effect that neuras- 
thenia supplies the counterpart of this abnormal condition, 
the calcium salts being diminished, while magnesium oxide 
unites with the organic colloid of the nerve structure — to 
impede, hinder, or destroy function. Edison (personal 
letter) has noted "a curious fact that only magnesium oxide 
will precipitate organic colloids in alkaline solution," but 
this is precisely what takes place when magnesium oxide, 
as "calcined magnesia," is administered as a "sedative," 
effecting insulation — a travesty on scientific medicine. 

In the cultivation of algae the experiments of Bokorny 
showed decrease and shrinkage of the chlorophyl such as 
to warrant the conclusion — "that the results can only be 
attributed to the absence of lime." This should be taken 
as a pointer for those who regard iron as an essential remedy 
for anemia, chlorosis, and inanition, when, as a matter of 
fact, deficiency of lime is the primary cause, such cases 



THE FOOD PROBLEM, WITH DIETARY STUDIES 123 

showing immediate and marked benefit following its employ- 
ment. Indeed, when the proper time arrives for hematinics 
there is usually no demand for them. 

An experimental investigation conducted by Boehm 
relating to the irregular transportation of starch in certain 
plants when lime salts were absent from culture solutions 
is especially suggestive in connection with the cause and 
treatment of obesity. On the addition of lime salts, the 
plants recovered, "while on the other hand, the addition 
of magnesium salts hastened their death, with accumula- 
tion of starch in the pith and bark of the lower part of the 
stem, death beginning in the upper part." 

A peculiar concatenation of circumstances lies in the 
fact that, "while lime is indispensable to animals, phanero- 
gams, and higher alga?, it is not so in the case of bacteria, 
fungi and lower algse," 1 and this is also true of mould fungi 
(Molisch). 

In this sketch many interesting and suggestive details 
have been omitted, and there is still much new evidence to 
present, especially with reference to magnesium dissociation, 
but sufficient has been advanced to make out a case for 
magnesium infiltration as the causative factor in the pro- 
duction of the "disturbances of nutrition" as exemplified 
in pellagra. In conclusion, however, it should be distinctly 
understood that magnesium is not utterly condemned. An 
effort has been made to show its deleterious effects under 
diseased conditions, its insidious invasion and apparent 
harmlessness, owing to its traditional reputation for effi- 
ciency, but from a medical viewpoint, with the exception of 
bacterial growth, calcium is its necessary complement. 

1 Loew, loc. cit. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN THE VASCULAR 
SYSTEM. 

Description — Arterial Changes — Calcareous Degeneration — Hyaline 
Degeneration — Fatty Degeneration — Fatty Infiltration — Amyloid 
Degeneration — Atheroma — Endarteritis — Arterio-sclerosis — The 
Ductless Glands — Mucoid Degeneration — Colloid Degeneration — 
Arterial Obstruction — Embolus — Thrombus — Blood Clotting — Reme- 
dial Measures in Arterio-sclerosis — Blood Pressure — Normal Systolic 
Pressure (Tabulation). 

Description. — Included in the vascular system are the 
heart, arteries, capillaries, veins and lymphatics, and when 
affected by chemic deviations which modify the circulation, 
by diminishing or increasing the blood supply of an organ, 
or any localized area, the nutrition of that organ or tissue 
necessarily suffers. Of course, we understand that the 
arterial blood reaches the veins through the medium of 
the capillaries, these minute vessels being instrumental in 
bringing the nutritive elements in contact with the various 
tissues, this being essential to the maintenance and up- 
building of the body — secondary assimilation. They are 
similar in structure to the arteries and veins; hence, any 
chemic deviation which involves either will affect the 
capillaries in like manner. In other words, as a rule, all 
derangements of the vascular system are due to constitutional 
variations from normal in the body fluids and tissues, includ- 
ing nerve tissue, and it will be shown how magnesium 
infiltration becomes the chief element, if not the exciting 
factor, in their production. 

In studying this problem it will be profitable to pass in 
review a number of the most prominent chemic deviations, 
to the end that the reader may be able to form a clear con- 
ception of their nature, and at the same time, learn something 
of the sequence of the various factors which constitute the 
morbid complexus. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 125 

A word should be added relative to the importance of the 
lymphatics, not alone as a division of the vascular system, 
but also as a dominant factor in modifying nutrition, 
through the influence of these vessels — and glands — upon 
secondary assimilation — a subject more fully discussed 
later on in this section. 

Arterial Changes. — Whether awake or asleep, the blood is 
constantly "flowing" — in the arteries at the rate of about 
twelve inches per second, seven inches per second in the 
veins and not more than two inches per minute in the 
capillaries. When the heart action is retarded and the force 
of the contractions diminished, there is a corresponding 
effect perceptible upon the circulation, the "blood pressure" 
being less, and the rapidity of the flow decreased, this change 
being especially noticeable in jaundice and also in general 
debility, as well as in other disorders, when the circulation 
is said to be "sluggish." As a result of disease or chemic 
deviations in the vessels, the blood pressure will vary; 
hence, the value and importance of instruments of pre- 
cision to measure blood pressure, to the end that the proper 
remedies may be applied, not only to reduce the pressure, 
but also to remove the cause. 

It would be unwise and premature to digress here for the 
purpose of discussing the methods available for reducing 
blood pressure or removing the cause, since these questions 
can be more intelligently presented in the clinical reports 
covering all the data. And in this connection, it might be 
added that didactic teaching, even when ex cathedra, has 
but little weight. Consequently, the writer aims to develop 
the fundamental basis of his teachings in lines parallel with 
the modern scheme of utilitarianism. 

A word should be added here, however, relative to the 
lymph-vascular system, a fairly complete circulation in 
itself, but subsidiary to the blood-vascular' system — and 
dependent upon the latter for its integrity, although its 
glandular appendages perform an important function in the 
economy in the production of white blood corpuscles (lym- 
phocytes). For example, a person with a "sluggish" blood 



126 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

circulation will have a slowly acting lymphatic system, such 
persons being classed as having a "lymphatic" temperament 
— but it all depends. A person with a lymphatic temper- 
ament will suffer just the same as a person with a mercurial 
temperament from snake-bite, or any other poison injected 
under the skin. Such a poison is carried by the lymphatics 
to the right or left subclavian vein, and thence direct to 
the heart; coming into contact with the blood, this fluid 
is disorganized, its oxygen-carrying capacity impaired and 
its nutritive value destroyed, so that the various organs 
cease to functionate, and the termination is fatal. The 
reader should not fail to note here the all-important fact 
relative to the dominating influence of nerve function — 
conspicuous by its absence — the poison arrests the functional 
activity and destroys the physical energy of the proto- 
plasmic cells which make up the nerve structures. Snake- 
bite might be offered as an illustration of the effects of 
magnesium infiltration, the former being a flash-light 
picture, the latter, a two-hour exposure. 

Calcareous degeneration arises from the presence of inor- 
ganic substances, principally lime and magnesia, in the 
soft tissues. Affecting the arteries, they lose their elasticity 
and lack resiliency, thus giving rise to rupture, with extrav- 
asation of blood, as in apoplexy, with complete or partial 
paralysis. Aneurysm, or localized dilatation of the artery, 
may precede actual rupture, and when occurring inside the 
cranium, the resulting tumor will produce similar effects. 
In both instances, we have a complete breaking down of 
the soft tissues (cerebral softening), and when bacteria 
gain access, there follows ulceration and possibly systemic 
infection (septicemia). A "tumor" may also develop as a 
result of an embolus or thrombus; localized hardening of 
an artery (arterio-sclerosis), causing obstruction of the 
circulation and congestion, may also produce symptoms of 
paralysis. Depending upon the area involved, the paralysis 
may be confined to one side of the body (hemiplegia), to 
one arm or one leg, or to the centres of special sense, such 
as the eye, the ear, or to the sense of smell. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 127 

Involving the extremities, these calcareous deposits 
diminish the blood supply, interfering with innervation and 
nutrition of the parts, when gangrene follows. While gan- 
grene, due to some local influence, injury, ulcer, pressure or 
occupation, may affect one extremity alone, it is generally 
symmetrical — involving both alike (Raynaud's disease), 
leading to the suspicion that it may be a local manifestation 
of some constitutional derangement, and a critical study 
of the malady, from both the scientific and clinical view- 
points, confirms this suspicion, if it does not prove the 
correctness of the assumption. 

Hyaline degeneration affects the fibrous tissue of the 
artery; it becomes transparent, jelly-like and homogeneous 
in structure. In other words, it loses its normal (cellular) 
characteristics and is unable to afford the necessary pro- 
tection incident to the flow of blood. This is well illustrated 
in the case of chronic ailments, when the blood supply to 
the brain is perceptibly diminished, causing the patient to 
feel drowsy while sitting, although unable to sleep when 
he lies down. Localized hyaline degeneration of the fibrous 
tissue would result in distension, dilatation or rupture, 
followed by the same symptoms as attend calcareous 
degeneration. And here again, we find that constitutional 
or systemic changes, similar in character, are also present. 
Indeed, no elaborate argument is necessary to show that 
these changes in structure are due to impaired nutrition — 
malnutrition — a subject considered in detail later on in 
this article. 

Fatty degeneration is characterized by conversion of the 
protoplasmic cells into fat; there is actual destruction 
(necrosis), of the units which constitute the tissue. Under 
the microscope, we find that the muscle fibers have lost 
their striation; fatty granules are present, and finally, the 
fibers themselves break down into fatty particles — these 
changes are attended with more or less marked deviations 
from normal, always susceptible of demonstration by 
instruments of precision. While it is possible to have 
localized fatty degeneration without involvement of the 



128 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

general system, it is quite out of the question to account 
for the change, except as a result of defective nutrition, the 
latter arising from demonstrable chemic deviations. 

Fatty infiltration differs materially from fatty degeneration. 
In the latter, we have a progressive change taking place 
in the tissues (cell metamorphosis), as previously stated, 
while in the former there is a deposit of fat from without. 
Such deposits occur (in protoplasm), in the form of fat 
droplets which coalesce; the cell nucleus is gradually dis- 
placed, and may disappear altogether, the original cell 
being transformed into a distended sac filled with fat. When 
such transformation occurs in many adjacent cells consti- 
tuting the connective tissue the surplus fat is known as 
adipose tissue. Thus, it will be seen that in both instances, 
we have cell degeneration, one within, the other taking 
place by infiltration from without the cell, and the reader 
must be obtuse, indeed, who does not recognize here the 
evidences of impaired nutrition. 

Amyloid degeneration consists of a peculiar tissue-trans- 
formation, giving rise to a wax-like, mahogany-colored 
albuminous material which gives the usual starch reaction 
with iodine — dilute Lugol's solution. Amyloid "bodies," 
resembling starch grains, may be found in the membranes 
of the brain and other nerve tissue, while amyloid degener- 
ation, as a result of impaired nutrition, is liable to occur in 
most of the organs of the body. The following description 
covers the histologic characteristics : 

"The amyloid substance appears in the form of irregular 
homogeneous, translucent, faintly granular areas of fused 
cells and intercellular substance, affecting chiefly the con- 
nective tissue about the capillaries, as in the glomerules of 
kidney or spleen. The adjacent epithelial cells may show 
atrophic changes or fatty degeneration. The urinary tubules 
may contain amyloid casts." 

Atheroma is the name applied to an inflammation affecting 
the middle coat of an artery (mes-arteritis) . It involves 
the blood vessels which supply the arterial walls (vaso 
vasorum), leading to hardening, fatty degeneration, and 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 129 

death of the tissues, thus weakening or destroying the 
vessel walls and favoring rupture, aneurysm or atheromatous 
ulceration; calcification may also take place, lessening the 
caliber, diminishing the blood supply, or these small vessels 
may be entirely occluded — thrombus. Atheroma is chiefly 
confined to the aged, although its presence may occur pre- 
maturely as a result of continued chemic deviation in the 
body fluids and tissues, coupled with consecutive magnesium 
infiltration — an every-day occurrence, even without the 
coincidence of syphilis. 

Endarteritis is an inflammation affecting the innermost 
coat of an artery (intima), and with the exception of the 
aorta and larger arteries, it is a chronic disorder. Frequently, 
if not usually, it is secondary or consecutive to the ather- 
omatous changes previously mentioned, and persons so 
affected generally complain of numbness on awakening; in 
addition, there are occasional attacks of tingling in the 
extremities, sharp, darting head-pains, and in advanced 
age, a persistent, localized pain of this character should be 
regarded as of grave significance, since it is often the fore- 
runner of thrombus, embolism, aneurysm or apoplexy. 
When bleeding was in vogue for this condition — and appar- 
ently a successful treatment — still, the patient was doomed, 
because there were no known remedial measures which would 
either ameliorate the condition or arrest the progress of the 
disorder. While affording temporary relief, blood-letting 
exercises no influence whatever upon the chemic deviation. 
Consequently, the patient was without hope, and awaited 
the inevitable, simply because the medical profession had 
failed to discover the underlying cause in malnutrition — 
the acidity coupled with magnesium infiltration. Bearing 
in mind that the lymphatics are intimately concerned in 
promoting the absorption of waste material from all serous 
membranes, including the heart cavities and pericardium, 
the joints and the peritoneum, as well as the brain, we can 
readily trace endarteritis to lymph-stasis — proof of this 
being found in the prompt relief afforded by stimulation of 
the lymph-vascular apparatus, by means of alkalies, which 
9 



130 



DISORDERS OF NUTRITION * Y 4* i 

augment the functional activity of the glands, increasing 
their physical energies. 

Arterio-sclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, affects chiefly 
the smaller vessels; it is characterized by thickening of the 
external (adventitia), as well as the internal coat (intima); 
hence, the elasticity is notably diminished, leading to 
increased arterial pressure. The condition is easily recog- 
nized by an examination of the pulse at the wrist, which is 
small, thready, and in advanced age, the increased tension 
gives the sensation of a whip-cord. Associated with, or as 
a result of sclerosis, we find the temporal arteries prominent 
and tortuous; the extremities (hands and feet) are shrunken, 
the veins distended, or even dilated, and not infrequently, 
there is numbness (Raynaud's disease), or possibly gangrene. 

The general deterioration attending the use of alcoholic 
stimulants has long»r?een recognized. Alcohol causes degen- 
erative changes involving the muscular system, and especially 
the heart muscle; in chronic alcoholics, we also find degener- 
ative changes affecting the entire nervous mechanism, and 
especially the brain centers, precipitating delirium tremens 
and often ending in insanity; the effect upon the blood vessels 
is particularly noticeable — hardening of the arteries, with 
with increased tension, dilatation of the veins and capillaries, 
engorgement of the lymphatics, kidney disease, and general 
impairment of nutrition, so that acute diseases, such as 
pneumonia, influenza and typhoid fever, are almost cer- 
tainly fatal. Notwithstanding the associated clinical facts- 
degenerative changes in the muscular and nervous systems, 
coupled with kidney disorders and arterio-sclerosis — each 
has been considered as an entity and treated accordingly, 
instead of regarding them as separate links of a chain, the 
causative factor being found in the nerve structures them- 
selves — in the form of abnormal or factitious inorganic 
deposits which impair, hinder or destroy their capacity for 
the uninterrupted transmission of impulses. 

It will be readily admitted that this is a plausible deduc- 
tion, because we understand how alcohol has the effect of 
hardening animal tissue, including nerve tissue; following 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 131 

up this line of inquiry, we can see how hardening of nerve 
tissue must be attended with more or less inflammatory 
reaction and disorganization of the organic colloids, thus 
permitting chemic transformation through the action of 
magnesium oxide. Hence, no treatment of kidney disorders 
and arterio-sclerosis, or the degenerative changes involving 
either the muscular or nervous systems in chronic alcoholism 
can be expected to afford more than temporary relief, unless 
it includes those measures which have proven successful in 
promoting magnesium dissociation. 

Apropos of this novel contention it will be in order to 
recall Harvey's dictum (1621) " omne mvum ex ovo," now 
referred to as a "prevision of genius," because the mam- 
malian ovum was not demonstrated by Von Baer for more 
than two hundred years (1827). In the present instance, it 
is not necessary to draw upon the imagination, since the 
evidence, in the shape of clinical and scientific facts, is 
ample and conclusive. 

Reference should be made here to the effect of alcoholic 
stimulants upon the ductless glands, which not only con- 
firms the working hypothesis of magnesium infiltration, but 
also goes to show that the position is well taken, that all 
these degenerative changes arise from, and are traceable to, 
impairment of nerve function. Hence, the utter folly of 
assuming or claiming that arterio-sclerosis is " always caused 
by chronic disease of the kidneys," when it can be shown 
that kidney disease is a localized manifestation of the 
systemic chemic deviation. Proof of this is to be found 
in the immediate and marked relief which follows when the 
usual medical measures are adopted to restore the normal 
alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues — conjointly with 
remedies to correct the effects of chemic deviation. 

Necessarily, therefore, the kidneys are the first to suffer, 
their delicate structures being disorganized by the constant 
secretion of the highly acid urine — a much more acceptable, 
and withal, a more scientific explanation than that usually 
advanced, as follows: "Kidney disease causes a poisoning 
of the blood, and this acts on the walls of the arteries of 



132 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

the entire system, bringing about inflammatory changes.' ' 
It is the magnesium infiltration which interferes with the 
normal function of the cells — when the body fluids lose their 
normal alkalescence. 

The Ductless Glands. — It has been found that alcohol has 
a pronounced effect upon the thyroid gland, first causing 
stimulation, and later, producing exhaustion, so that in 
chronic alcoholism with thyroid degeneration, enormous 
quantities may be taken daily without producing the usual 
symptoms of intoxication. In such instances, we assume 
that the alcohol produces the usual hardening effect upon 
the colloid structure of the gland, and this in turn, favors 
chemic transformation through the action of magnesium 
oxide — thus destroying its functional activity. Not only in 
chronic alcoholism do we observe this anomaly, but also 
in Graves' disease (goiter), in myxedema, and in diabetes, 
where degenerative changes in the thyroid gland are well 
marked and generally progressive in character. Besides, 
we know that in all acute diseases, there is a gradual exhaus- 
tion of the thyroid — pneumonia, typhoid and scarlet fever 
— when the temperature becomes subnormal; the heart is 
said to be embarrassed and vitality at such a low ebb that 
alcohol alone must be administered as a diffusible stimulant, 
although patients so treated exhibit none of the symptoms 
characteristic of intoxication. While this is the routine 
method, and traditional, it is not altogether good practice, 
because it is harmful in every case, and may even produce 
fatal results. Therefore, instead of regarding alcohol as 
the "sheet anker," as one of my professional correspondents 
puts it, we should endeavor to conserve the functional 
activity of the gland — by neutralizing acid excess, and by 
adopting the necessary measures to effect magnesium 
dissociation. 

While no reference is made here to the effects of alcohol 
upon either the adrenals, or the pituitary body — both ductless 
glands with an internal secretion, like the thyroid, and in 
direct physiologic relation with it — there is no apparent 
necessity for further elaboration here, since they are similar 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 133 

in structure and function. This subject is more fully dis- 
cussed under the head of Goiter, q. v. 

If we assume, as claimed by recent investigators, that 
arterio-sclerosis is caused by some toxic agent, which is 
responsible for the degenerative changes in the blood 
vessels, as previously described, and bear in mind that 
these, or identical changes, can be produced artificially by 
the injection of adrenal extract, the problem is greatly 
simplified — because, we know that emotion, fear, excitement 
or intense mental activity will cause adrenal secretion to 
appear in the blood stream. The deduction is warranted, 
therefore, that atheroma, arterio-sclerosis and increased 
arterial tension are brought about through some occult 
influence of the adrenal secretion upon the nerve structures, 
rather than that these degenerative changes are due to 
toxic agents. This is a logical deduction and proves the 
correctness of the working hypothesis, atheroma, arterio- 
sclerosis and increased arterial tension being readily amen- 
able to chemic treatment or medication as outlined: 

(1) To overcome or antidote simple replacement by the 
employment of calcium salts to promote magnesium dissociation 
— according to the law of mass action; 

(2) To correct or counteract chemic transformation (the 
chemic union of magnesium oxide with the organic colloids 
of the nerve structures), by means of chemic substances to 
dissolve or promote absorption of the organic material that 
holds together the inflammatory mass acting as an obstruction 
to the transmission of nerve impulses; 

(3) To resolve or promote disintegration of the inflammatory 
products where magnesium united with calcium constitutes 
the barrier. 

Success or failure in accomplishing these objects will 
depend almost entirely upon the functional integrity of the 
cellular structures, since all vital activities depend upon 
the ultimate cell. 

Again, we must not overlook the antagonism which exists 



134 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

between thyroid secretion and that of the adrenals. Thus, 
removal of the gland is followed by a peculiar, depraved 
condition of metabolism called cachexia strumipriva, closely 
allied to myxedema, while impairment of the thyroid 
function is followed by atheromatous changes and increased 
arterial tension. The latter is frequently pronounced in 
diabetes, syphilis, alcoholism, and also after acute infectious 
diseases, in all of which we find impairment of the thyroid 
function — in consequence of magnesium infiltration (?). 
The clinical evidence is readily secured by the administra- 
tion of calcium salts to promote magnesium dissociation — 
when the atheroma and arterio- sclerosis together with the 
symptoms of toxic agents disappear, unless the disorder has 
persisted so long that the colloid structure of the gland has 
been radically changed or permanently destroyed by atrophy, 
or by connective tissue taking its place. 

In this connection it should also be stated that various 
toxic substances, organic or inorganic, such as tobacco and 
lead, do cause enlargement or hypertrophy of the adrenals, 
but the writer is under the impression that laboratory 
studies confined to an investigation of the physical and 
chemic effects of magnesium salts upon the ductless glands 
and upon the nerve structures will ultimately confirm the 
claims set forth — when medical treatment will be marvel- 
ously simplified, because these magnesium deposits could not 
possibly occur were the normal reactions of the body fluids 
maintained. Moreover, the symptoms and physical deteri- 
oration can only be caused to disappear by means of treat- 
ment conducted for the sole purpose of correcting the chemic 
deviation, as previously stated. 

While arterio-sclerosis is regarded as peculiarly a disease 
of advanced age, modern life undoubtedly causes its pre- 
mature appearance — ample evidence of this being found in 
the daily prints. Usually charged to worry, nerve-strain, 
overwork, and such like, these patients seem resigned to 
fate, content to live in a band-box when, as a matter of fact, 
they are suffering from a "habit" of the system arising from 
chemic deviations, progressive in character but not incurable. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 135 

Mucoid degeneration is said to take place when the cells 
and also the intercellular substance are converted into 
mucin, or animal gum. It is a compound of a proteid with 
a carbohydrate, the characteristic substance in mucus; 
found also in saliva, bile, mucous tissue, synovial fluid, etc., 
and on decomposition yields leucin and tyrosin, waste 
products. A note should be added to the effect that mucin 
is insoluble in water and that it is precipitated by alcohol 
and acetic acid; hence, its untoward effects in disorders of 
the liver and in chronic rheumatism, especially in the case 
of alcoholics and those suffering from lymph-stasis and acid 
excess incident to the indigestions. 

Colloid degeneration is similar to mucoid degeneration, 
the cells being converted into a colloid, or glue-like sub- 
stance; it is non-crystallizable, and differs from mucin, being 
soluble, and does not give the same reactions. Like other 
colloids, it combines chemically with magnesium oxide 
(calcined magnesia), in alkaline solution, and thus colloid 
degeneration becomes a factor of special significance in all 
cases where we have to contend with progressive changes 
in the circulatory apparatus. That is to say, the various 
arterial changes described are always associated with 
constitutional deviations, similar in kind, but varying in 
degree, and in general, if not invariably, the cause may be 
traced to abnormal deposits of magnesium, by replacement, 
chemic transformation, or united with calcium. 

Arterial Obstruction. — In addition to the foregoing changes, 
all of which lead to arterial obstruction as a result of con- 
stitutional derangements arising from chemic deviations 
in the body fluids and tissues, certain accidents are liable 
to occur, which also interfere with the flow of blood and 
give rise to the usual symptoms. 

Embolus. — When a foreign body — a blood-clot, or some 
other substance — finds lodgment in the artery, it is called 
an embolus, the disordered condition being known as 
embolism. Should the embolus involve an end artery, such 
as the coronary arteries, or one of the arteries of an extremity, 
the blood supply of the distal area is arrested, when the tissues 



136 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

undergo degenerative and inflammatory changes. The area 
thus affected becomes an "infarct;" its nutrition being 
arrested, death of the tissues follows, usually in the form 
of dry or moist gangrene. 

Thrombus. — A thrombus differs from an embolus, the 
clot being formed within the blood vessel — at the point 
of obstruction or in the heart itself. A thrombus, or the 
condition known as thrombosis, arises from an abnormal 
condition of the blood, coupled with some preexistent 
deviation in the blood vessels — atheroma, calcareous, 
hyaline, amyloid or fatty degeneration, or hardening. This 
condition of the artery, however, is not the causative 
factor; rather, it is a predisposing factor, coincident with 
the constitutional susceptibility arising from certain demon- 
strable chemic deviations in the blood. Thus, under normal 
conditions as to alkalinity, the blood does not clot in the 
arteries. In other words, disintegration is necessary. 

Blood Clotting. — As soon as the blood escapes from a 
vessel and is exposed to the air, disorganization of the 
white blood corpuscles releases the fibrin ferment, 1 which 
acts upon fibrinogen to produce fibrin. This phenomenon 
(blood-clotting) is a conservative process, an effort at 
reorganization on the part of nature, fibrin being insoluble 
in water and ether. It occurs in the form of delicate, closely 
packed, microscopic, doubly refractive fibrils, entangling 
the blood corpuscles as in a spider's web, and constitutes 
about 0.2 per cent, of the blood. Fibrinogen is a native 
proteid, found in blood plasma, serous transudations, etc., 
and one of the chief elements in the formation of fibrin, as 
previously stated. 

Remedial Measures. — Antecedent to embolism and throm- 
bosis, together with the morbid complexus finally resulting 
in arterial obstruction from blood-clot, atheroma and 
arterio-sclerosis, we may discover various deviations from 
normal in the circulatory apparatus which, when properly 

1 Fibrin ferment is obtainable from blood serum after clotting has 
occurred. It does not exist in living, circulating blood, and is destroyed 
by heating to 70° F. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 137 

interpreted, enable us to anticipate and prevent the untoward 
effects described. First, in order, we must secure and 
maintain as far as possible a normal alkalescence of the 
body fluids — to the end that nutrition shall be reestablished. 
And in this connection we must not lose sight of the untoward 
effects of a diminished alkalinity of the blood upon the 
nervous mechanism — because, as will be shown, defective 
innervation is responsible for the appearance of all the 
degenerative changes mentioned, and also for their persist- 
ence. Nothing in the way of permanent improvement is 
possible until this object has been attained — it is essential 
and fundamental, and withal, scientific. 

Next in order, we must consider the remedial measures 
necessary and available for correcting or overcoming the 
effects of defective innervation — in short, the degenerative 
changes passed in review — and this opens up a fruitful 
field for exploration and discussion. Following the lines 
of routine and tradition, it would be politic, if not sagacious 
and specious, to fall in with the generally accepted views 
relating to the advantages of the ordinary normal nerve 
stimuli, electric, thermic, mechanic and chemic. In view of 
the fact, however, that chemic deviation is the paramount, 
essential and dominating factor, it will be the part of wisdom 
to consider briefly the arguments advanced in favor of the 
others. Thus, electric stimulus, by increasing the conduc- 
tivity of the tissues, augments tissue change and favors the 
elimination of waste products. Judiciously employed, it will 
even break down and promote the absorption of abnormal 
growths, its action in the form of the x-ray being similar, 
if not identical, with the effects produced by radium and 
other radio-active substances. Furthermore, like other 
normal nerve stimuli, electricity restores the alkalinity of 
the tissues, a scientific fact which will account for the 
oft-times magic effects attending the employment of gal- 
vanism or static electricity. Permanent effects are secured 
only through the stability of alkalescence, although there 
are exceptional cases; hence, the necessity for continuous 
treatment. Consequently, the advantages of electric 



138 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

stimuli, except as an adjuvant, in the class of cases under 
consideration, must be regarded as palliative rather than 
curative. 

When mercury fails to produce the anticipated effects 
in arterio-sclerosis, the medical attendant resorts to potas- 
sium iodide, frequently employing massive doses, even to 
the point of tolerance, without the least conception of the 
exact object to be attained. Now, shooting for general 
results is almost invariably harmful to the patient, and it 
is a pertinent fact that many deaths are hastened by such 
treatment. 

A brief study of this question will suffice to convince the 
most skeptical — and it is an extremely simple matter to 
make a clinical demonstration, in locomotor ataxia, for 
example. In this instance, hardening of the nerve structures 
seems to be the paramount factor, and overshadows the 
coincident arterio-sclerosis, which interferes with nutrition 
by diminishing the blood supply. Here we are dealing with 
an inflammatory reaction arising from systemic invasion 
by the spirocheta pallida. Not only is the circulation dis- 
ordered, but innervation is impaired in consequence of the 
progressive hardening. 

To promote resolution in such cases, mercurials have 
long been regarded as absolutely necessary, and therefore, 
essential; when they fail, the "alterative" effects of iodine 
are sought, both being employed on general principles — 
empirically — and actually, without scientific precision — 
hence, without efficiency. That this line of treatment 
accomplishes fairly satisfactory results in some cases is not 
denied, but this is due rather to the physical condition of 
the patient than to the skill of the medical attendant — 
or the efficacy of the medicaments employed. 

The above statement will be comprehensible when we 
consider the effects of mercury and iodine upon the tissues 
— actually, the body cells. Mercury, in medicinal doses, 
depletes the lime content, notably of the bones, the long 
bones being especially susceptible; they become soft and 
are easily broken, union being slow and oft-times impossible. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 139 

Besides, there are other important changes taking place 
which modify nutrition. Frequently, if not usually, elimin- 
ation of the discarded lime by the usual channel, the bowels, 
is deflected or interrupted, the tendency being to accumulate 
in the structures of the kidney, causing dropsy and cal- 
careous degeneration. There is also a tendency to "gravel" 
and stone in the bladder. When the liver is involved, we 
have gall-stones, and occasionally lithiasis, or calculus form- 
ation in the intestinal tract. And even the lungs do not 
escape, a pointer for the advocates of mercurial injections 
in tuberculosis. Apparently, a most promising method, 
since it seems to conform with nature in restoring the 
depleted lime (calcium), to the pulmonary tissues, but it 
must evidently render the patient utterly bankrupt in 
respect to health. 

Iodine is destructive and actively poisonous to animal 
tissue, but in medicinal doses it performs a valuable function 
as an alterative, and when employed with discrimination in 
syphilis, the effects are immediate and marked. Unlike 
mercury, it does not deplete the lime content of the cells, 
but it can accomplish little in promoting resolution without 
the conjoint use of calcium. Hence, its failure to produce 
uniformly satisfactory results. 

From what has been said, the reader must infer that 
something is lacking in our conception of the treatment 
of arterio-sclerosis as it occurs in locomotor ataxia, a lacuna 
which has hitherto escaped detection, or an unbridged 
hiatus which renders progress difficult. Indeed, it is not 
too much to say that no advance in medical practice is 
possible until the working hypothesis of magnesium infil- 
tration is accepted and applied at the bed-side — because it 
is constructive, efficient and scientific. 

Associated with arterio-sclerosis, we find deviations in 
both function and structure, the former being classed as 
physiologic, the latter as chemic, although in most instances, 
both arise from the invasion of syphilitic infection and are 
merely the local and incidental manifestations of constitu- 
tional derangement. Furthermore, it has been shown that 



140 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

medical treatment is faulty, because based upon mistaken 
premises, and under certain conditions, serves but to aggra- 
vate the malady and lessen the chances of recovery. Whether 
treatment is conducted in accordance with the doctrine, 
"contraria cordrariis" or " similia similibus" the stimulus 
(irritation), follows the lines of invasion, causing further 
cell exhaustion, instead of recuperation and reconstruction 
to augment resistance. 

Now, while locomotor ataxia may be regarded as an 
exaggerated illustration of the complications incident to 
arterio-sclerosis, it is none the less typical. In fact, the 
conditions characteristic of locomotor ataxia may develop 
independently of syphilitic infection — and the same routine 
treatment carried out is almost invariably as uncertain and 
always as unsatisfactory, convincing proof that the medical 
profession has not yet fathomed the mystery of the chemic 
problem in nutrition. 

An apt illustration of this is to be found in the case of B., 
upwards of forty, always a hard working man, enjoying 
remarkably good health. He was taken ill about mid- August — 
probably autumnal catarrh, and popularly known as hay-fever 
— and was treated for a time for tuberculosis, owing to the 
cough and profuse expectoration. Later, the catarrhal con- 
dition shifted to the stomach, the lungs and bronchial tubes 
having cleared up. 

This patient was first seen about the middle of October, at 
which time he had been confined to bed for a period of two 
months. The skin was sallow, almost jaundiced, the pulse 
small and hard and much below normal in frequency, while 
the heart action was labored; the abdomen was much distended 
with gas, there was no desire for food, the bowels were obstin- 
ately constipated together with profound despondency, the 
latter condition being brought about partly owing to constant 
nausea. To this long list of ailments should be added persistent 
numbness of the hands and feet, all of which was readily 
accounted for by testing the salivary and cutaneous reactions, 
both being intensely acid. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 141 

Treatment was conducted according to the general plan 
previously outlined — to restore the digestive capacity and 
neutralize acid excess, and as a result, the patient had but 
one subsequent attack of nausea and vomiting — early one 
morning when he had turned to lie on his left side during sleep. 
In the course of a couple of weeks he was up and around and 
able to do a little work, but the numbness became progressive, 
the stiffness involved the arms and legs, so that he had to use 
crutches. 

It should be stated here that the patient received only a 
part of the treatment as outlined — he did not have treatment 
to promote magnesium dissociation, and in consequence, the 
magnesium infiltration became progressive — involving both the 
nerve structures and the arteries. It seems a fateful paradox, 
but the prompt relief afforded this patient was the means of 
his undoing. Over the telephone, he asked to have the medicine 
renewed — an unreasonable request under the circumstances — 
and he failed to call on me until two months later. The patient 
had taken on flesh, over twenty-five pounds, the skin was 
sallow, almost jaundiced, and he was so seriously crippled that 
he could neither dress nor undress himself — he could not even 
put on his gloves, and suffered intensely from the cold weather. 

Treatment, conducted to promote magnesium dissoci- 
ation, enabled him to substitute a cane for the crutches in 
less than a week and everything looked promising, but 
unfortunately, I only saw him once afterwards, an acute 
attack of indigestion requiring the attendance of a local 
physician. Later, I learned, a consultation was held, when 
it was found the patient had anemia, but this failed to 
respond to treatment, and he died a few weeks later. 

This case is exceptionally interesting and instructive, 
because we can trace the magnesium infiltration as the 
dominant factor — indigestion and acid excess coincident to 
the attack of hay-fever and consecutive bronchial catarrh; 
then followed metastasis — catarrh of the stomach with 
impairment of the liver function, and finally, progressive 
arterio-sclerosis, the anemia being merely incidental. It 



142 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

confirms the preceding deductions that the local manifes- 
tations or symptoms are merely evidences of systemic 
involvement, while the results of treatment show the 
exact nature of the chemic deviation. 

Blood Pressure. — Under normal conditions, varying with 
age, the blood pressure — in the brachial artery — is fairly 
uniform, although a reasonable allowance, ten per cent., 
may be made for "nervous" patients, because, as has been 
pointed out, emotion or excitement is liable to act as a 
stimulus to the adrenals, thereby increasing their functional 
activity. However, we must also consider the antagonistic 
effect of the thyroid secretion as a regulator, the peculiar 
"nervous" sensation in the throat when a person is excited 
being well known. Again, chemic deviations affecting either 
structure will modify the reading or tracing, since it is 
extremely unlikely that both glands should be involved to 
an equal extent, so that the value of the sphygmograph, 
in Graves' disease, myxedema, diabetes mellitus and arterio- 
sclerosis is relative rather than absolute. Compensatory or 
reflex stimulation to maintain the equilibrium of the cir- 
culation is an assumption based solely upon physiologic 
grounds. When, however, we have to deal with chemic 
changes in the glandular structures themselves, progressive 
in character, the sophistry of the argument becomes apparent, 
such chemic deviations being, for all practical purposes, 
equivalent to organic changes. 

Clinical evidence is not wanting to demonstrate the 
correctness of these deductions. Thus, we can always 
secure a favorable impression upon the symptoms of these 
disorders, and not infrequently arrest their progress, by 
simply restoring the normal alkalescence of the body fluids 
and tissues. Arterial tension is reduced, normal secretions 
reestablished, thus favoring elimination, while both the 
primary and secondary assimilation are improved — because 
of the favorable influence upon innervation. Adopting 
in addition the usual measures requisite to promote mag- 
nesium dissociation, all the unfavorable symptoms imme- 
diately show a disposition to subside — unless degenerative 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 143 

changes have entirely destroyed the integrity of the cellular 
structures. 

Normal Systolic Pressure. — The following tabulation shows 
approximately the normal systolic blood pressure at different 
ages in males — that of females is about ten millimeters 
less — the test being made when the patient is in the recum- 
bent posture. The normal pulse pressure varies from 20 to 
40 mm., and is notably modified by the degenerative changes 
taking place in the arteries. 

Normal Ststolic Pressure. 

18 to 30 years of age 110 to 140 mm. 

30 to 40 years of age 115 to 145 mm. 

40 to 50 years of age 120 to 150 mm. 

50 to 60 years of age 125 to 155 mm. 

60 to 70 years of age 132 to 165 mm. 

Even to the uninitiated, the danger of high blood pressure 
must be apparent, and especially so in the case of advanced 
age, when the arteries are brittle and have lost their elas- 
ticity. When we consider the modern routine treatment 
of such cases, strychnine, digitalis and nitroglycerin (the 
usual heart stimulants), one can readily understand that a 
favorable prognosis is out of the question, since the logical 
results of medication lead to embarrassment of the heart. 
Hence, the increasing number of fatalities, from so-called 
heart failure, such accidents being more frequently due to 
medication than to disease. Any mechanical engineer of 
ordinary ability knows the dangers of carrying two hundred 
pounds steam-pressure in an old boiler with rusty flues, 
when it was only tested for one hundred and sixty when 
new. He knows, too, full well, that increased steam-pressure 
has no tendency to improve the mechanism of the boiler, 
or the strength of the flues, and must content himself with 
the power derived at the legitimate gauge, or precipitate a 
catastrophe. Happily, in the human economy, the arteries 
corresponding with the boiler flues are composed of living, 
vital cells, increased tension or pressure being due to facti- 
tious (adventitious) deposits, inorganic in character, which 



144 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

in many instances, may be more or less completely dis- 
solved, thus relieving tension, and that too, without in the 
least embarrassing the action of the heart. On the con- 
trary, as previously indicated, when resistance disappears, 
normal functions are reestablished, so that the control of 
abnormal blood pressure, whether high or low, is a chemic 
rather than a physiologic problem. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN THE VASCULAR 
SYSTEM— Continued. 

The Capillaries — Congestion — Edema and Nephritis — The Veins 
— Varicose Veins — Illustrative Cases — Phlebitis — Milk-leg — The 
Lymphatics — The Lymphatic Glands — Appendicitis — The Rational 
Plan of Treatment — Osmotic Pressure and Osmosis. 

Continuing our study of the chemic deviations in the 
circulatory apparatus, we have to consider the effects upon 
the veins and capillaries, these vessels being continuous 
with the arteries. While the flow of blood under normal 
conditions varies with the force of the heart contractions, 
there are other factors equally important to secure its 
proper distribution. First in order comes the vasomotor 
nerves, which regulate or control the caliber of the vessels, 
arteries, veins and capillaries, and the evidence is in favor 
of the belief that the adrenal secretion enacts the role of a 
physiologic stimulus to the sympathetic nervous system, 
or vasomotor nerves, since it is now well known that its 
frequent or continuous employment ends in arterio-sclerosis. 
Thus, we lose the advantage of the normal resiliency of the 
arterial walls, the second factor in promoting the equable 
distribution of the blood. Add to this the alternate con- 
tractions and relaxation of the involuntary muscles, the 
action of the skeletal and respiratory muscles, glandular 
activity and posture, and bearing constantly in mind that 
these diverse activities are all conducted under pressure — 
osmotic pressure — the problem becomes more complex as 
we proceed. It would, indeed, be impossible to estimate 
with any degree of accuracy the relative importance of 
these different factors, or even comprehend their combined 
significance were it not for the light thrown upon the screen 
by our knowledge of osmosis — the diffusion of liquids 
through animal and vegetable membranes. 
10 



146 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

The Capillaries. — When blood is passing through the 
capillaries, one corpuscle at a time at the rate of two inches 
per minute — under pressure — there takes place more or less 
diffusion or transudation, so that the "tissues," really the 
cells, are supplied with oxygen, along with nutritive elements, 
giving up carbon dioxide and other waste products, so that 
the venous blood is much darker and less fluid than arterial 
blood. This is the respiratory function of the tissues, or 
tissue change, and its integrity and maintenance depend 
largely upon osmotic pressure, a subject more fully discussed 
later on. 

An excellent illustration of the capillary flow is seen in 
the case of chronic alcoholics — the face is dark, red or 
mottled, but on close inspection we find a distinct outline 
of the capillaries, those on the arterial side being bright 
red in color, those on the venous side, dark. This not only 
shows the effect of tissue respiration on the blood, but also 
the "sluggish" nature of the circulation throughout the 
body as a result of alcoholic stimulants. Besides, we must 
consider the arrested tissue change as a factor in favoring 
deposits of magnesia, since we know that chronic alcoholism 
is always an exciting factor in the production of atheroma, 
arterio-sclerosis and other degenerative changes in the 
arteries. The same is true of the capillaries and veins; 
hence, the same rule applies to the tissues in general, because 
the colloids which enter into the composition of protoplasm 
forming the blood vessels differ in no essential respect from 
those which constitute the general tissues, connective, 
nervous and muscular. 1 

1 Chemists recognize two kinds of colloids — emulsion and suspension 
colloids. Emulsion colloids combine two liquid phases; they are 
viscous, gelatinizing, not readily coagulated by salts and hydrolytic, 
such as gelatin, starch, dextrin, albumin, etc. Suspension colloids 
include a solid and also a liquid phase, non-viscous, non -gelatinizing, 
hydrolytic and readily coagulated by salts, such as colloidal solutions 
of metals and hemoglobin. Hence, in studying the disorders of nutri- 
tion incident to tissue change, or tissue respiration, we must bear in 
mind that the substance of cells consists of a mixture of different 
colloids and that these colloids possess peculiar physical and chemic 
properties. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 147 

This will explain in part, at least, the nature of the chemic 
deviations responsible for such degenerative changes, such 
as atheroma, hyaline, fatty, amyloid, mucoid and colloid 
degeneration. At the same time, it is a step forward in 
accounting for arterial obstruction from embolus, thrombus 
and from arterio-sclerosis and calcareous degeneration. 

Congestion. — Congestion of the tissues centers around the 
capillaries. When the arterial capillaries are involved, as 
in beginning pneumonia, the congestion is said to be active; 
in the case of asthma, with distended veins and labored 
breathing, the congestion is said to be passive. Now, 
whatever influence or effect may arise from bacterial 
invasion in either of these instances, it must be apparent 
that infection alone is not the sole cause. Thus, a person 
in robust health may have active congestion of the lungs 
following exposure, or from an injury, while another is 
liable to an asthmatic seizure from various causes, acute 
indigestion, a whiff of some particular odor, or the slight 
displacement of a vertebrae involving the pulmonary nerve 
supply. In fact, the final analysis shows that defective 
innervation is the pivot upon which hinges all disorders 
characterized by congestion — in many, if not in most 
instances, when rightly interpreted, a conservative process. 

A brief reference here to certain peculiarities connected 
with tissue respiration would, perhaps, lessen the acerbity 
of the foregoing deduction. Immediately congestion begins, 
the oxygen supply is diminished, while the production of 
carbon dioxide continues — acting as an anesthetic — and 
besides, other waste products accumulate to further benumb 
sensation. The protoplasmic cells are literally suffocated 
for lack of oxygen, there is alteration in the colloids and 
arrest or retardation of imbibition (absorption). 

It would be interesting to discuss here various inherent 
or vegetative functions, such as normal resistance due to 
the defensive proteids, leucocytosis, symbiosis, osmotic 
pressure and surface energy, but any criticism will be 
fully covered by a brief reference to the immediate and 
marked effect of acids and alkalies. For example, an ox or 



148 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

sheep eye placed in acidulated water will swell until it 
bursts the sclera; the addition of an alkali (citrates), will 
arrest the swelling — and lessen it. Gelatin and fibrin are 
affected in the same manner. Professor Martin H. Fischer 
has recently taken advantage of this chemico-physiologic 
principle in the treatment of glaucoma. He first demon- 
strated the absence of capillary pressure as a factor — by 
placing a ligature on a frog's leg above the knee, causing 
complete obstruction of the circulation, with edema, followed 
with the formation of blebs under the skin, a condition 
simulating glaucoma. For treatment, he injected, sub- 
conjunctively, a -g- to -g- molecular solution (approximately 
4 to 5 per cent.), sodium citrate, which relieved the tension 
and kept it low for several days. 

Applying this principle in the case of congestion, active 
or passive, the effects are little short of marvelous, and 
since all disorders of nutrition are attended with diminished 
alkalescence, why not make this a dominant factor in the 
treatment of disease? And when it is understood — and 
believed — how acid excess leads to disordered innervation 
from chemic deviations of the inorganic proximate principles, 
a Doric column is added to the perspective of the medical 
superstructure. 

Edema and Nephritis. — Dr. Fischer, as a result of his 
laboratory work relating to the nature, cause and relief 
of edema and nephritis, presents the following deductions 
as "The Argument:" 

1. The amount of water found under normal or abnormal 
circumstances in any cell or tissue, including blood and lymph, 
is determined by the colloids contained in it, and by the state 
in which the colloids exist. 

2. A state of edema is induced whenever, in the presence 
of an adequate supply of water, the capacity of the tissue 
colloids for holding water is increased above that which we 
choose to call normal. An important, if not the most important 
cause, for such an increased hydration capacity is to be found 
in an abnormal production or accumulation of acids in the 



CHE MIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 149 

tissues, but we must also consider the possibilities of explaining 
it partly through substances which affect colloids in a way 
similar to acids, or through the conversion of colloids having 
little hydration capacity into such as have a greater capacity. 

3. All the changes that characterize nephritis are colloid- 
chemic in nature, and are due to a common cause, namely, 
the abnormal production or accumulation of acids and sub- 
stances that act like acids in the tissues of the kidney. To 
their action upon the colloidal structures that compose the 
kidney are due the albuminuria, the morphologic changes 
in the kidney, the associated production of casts, the quan- 
titative variations in the water and the dissolved substances 
secreted, etc. 

4. To avoid a threatened nephritis, or to relieve an estab- 
lished non-atrophic nephritis, we must avoid as far as possible 
every condition favoring abnormal production or accumulation 
of acids in the kidney. Alkali is indicated to neutralize the 
acids present; salts, including NaCl (sodium chloride), to 
reduce the edema of the kidney and other organs: and water, 
day and night, in order to have free water available for urinary 
secretion. 

The Veins. — Associated with the degenerative changes 
described, the veins are subject to various changes, dis- 
tension, dilatation (varicosis), and rupture; a blood clot 
may lead to obstruction, followed by " inflammation, " 
and in case bacteria find access to the affected area, ulcer- 
ation occurs. The sepsis thus arising gives rise to general 
infection or septicemia, characterized by fever, or elevation 
of temperature, accelerated pulse-rate and respiration, with 
arrest of the secretions and more or less delirium, the poison 
or sepsis being distributed through the medium of the blood, 
and also the lymphatics. Fortunately, nature has provided 
against such contingencies under normal conditions, in 
addition to leucocytosis, so that the system is measurably 
fortified against bacterial invasion. 

Distension of the veins always shows relaxation of the 
vasomotor nerves, a familiar example is seen in the case of 



150 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

blushing — due to psychic stimulus — and when distension is 
long continued, the vessels become dilated. The rapidity of 
flow is diminished, carbon dioxide and other waste products 
accumulate in the tissues to hinder tissue change. This 
pressure upon the nerves, motor, sensory and trophic, may 
involve adjacent tissues to the extent of causing local con- 
gestion. We have an example of this following injury, or 
the application of irritants, such as fly-blister. Congestions 
of this character are generally amenable to local treatment 
in the form of dry or moist heat, but dilated veins (varicose 
veins), require constitutional treatment, a disorder, by the 
way, intimately connected with our present study of chemic 
deviations in the vascular system. 

Varicose Veins. — A serious mistake occurs when it is 
assumed that a varicose vein is an entity and will respond 
to local, astringent applications, such as hamamelis, or 
pressure in the form of an elastic bandage or stocking, since 
it can be shown beyond question that it is merely a local 
manifestation of constitutional derangement — and mag- 
nesium infiltration is the exciting factor responsible for its 
production. Internal medication, usually in the form of 
astringents, which are supposed to act upon the blood, are 
worse than useless, because they exert a baneful effect upon 
its nutritive value, and besides, the astringent effect upon 
the involved tissues is well calculated to produce further 
deterioration — and from which the nerves do not escape. 
The vast number of valetudinarians, victims of the elastic 
stocking craze, is a reproach to medical science, because 
constitutional treatment in the early stage will cause the 
disappearance or subsidence of varicose veins. 

Illustrative Cases. — The following case records will serve to 
confirm and illustrate the foregoing statement: Mr. B., aged 
32, engaged in office work and traveling, has worn an elastic 
stocking for the relief of varicose veins during the past seven 
years. Apparently in robust health, with no history of pre- 
vious illness, he has been unable to dispense with the support, 
summer or winter. Treatment consisted in restoring the 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 151 

normal alkalinity of the blood — by means of alkaline-saline 
medication — along with the hepatin tablet to improve the 
digestive capacity and stimulate the liver function, and as a 
result, the patient discarded the support in less than ten days. 

Some years ago, a gentleman whom I had previously treated, 
requested me to prescribe for his wife by mail. Age about 45, 
he said she had been confined to bed for two months with 
varicose veins, the feet being very much swollen and painful. 
Although convalescent and able to sit up, the patient could not 
go about the house, as walking or standing produced great 
pain. 

Medication and directions, the same as given in the previous 
case, arrived on the day the family was starting for Jamestown 
Exposition, the medical attendant having advised sea-air in 
hopes of benefiting the patient. Treatment was begun at once 
on arrival, and in the course of two weeks she had made com- 
plete recovery and could out-walk any of the party when 
visiting the grounds. 

Phlebitis. — This is a technical term for inflammation 
affecting a vein, and occurs under numerous and varying 
conditions — without as well as with septic infection. Thus, 
we must admit a distinct line of demarcation between 
simple and infective inflammation; hence, our inquiry as 
to the probable causative factor responsible for phlebitis 
in the following instances: 

Gouty phlebitis is said to be dependent on the presence 
of gout. But gout is a disorder arising from chemic devi- 
ations incident to acid excess, with deposits, principally 
urate of soda, in and around the joints — and these results 
are not possible with normal alkalescence of the body fluids 
and tissues. In other words, gouty phlebitis will not 
develop under normal conditions in respect to chemic 
reactions. 

When we compare simple with suppurative phlebitis, the 
contrast is well marked. The former is local and circum- 
scribed and usually of short duration; the latter is serious, 
owing to the dangers arising from the distribution of septic 



152 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

infection (emboli), to distant organs, but even here the 
severity of infection may be measurably lessened and a 
fatal termination avoided, by restoring the normal anti- 
septic properties of the blood, through alkalescence. 

The practical value of this suggestion is easy of demon- 
stration, for example, in the case of varicose phlebitis, 
inflammation of a varicose vein, where we have to deal 
with the tissue relaxation incident to acid excess, with 
consecutive magnesium infiltration. 

Milk-leg, phlegmasia alba dolens, is due to septic infection 
after labor. It may begin at the ankle and extend upward, 
or in the groin, and follow a downward course. Obstruction 
or thrombosis of the veins of the thigh is the most common 
as well as the most dangerous, but involvement of the 
connective tissues and lymphatics of the leg is always 
attended with a lingering convalescence, not entirely free 
from danger — simply because the medical profession has 
thus far failed to recognize and understand the chemic 
deviation as the causative factor. 

The Lymphatics. — The lymphatics include both vessels or 
tubes, and glands, lymph glands, and perform important 
functions in nutrition. The circulation within the system 
consists of lymph and chyle, and it might be regarded as 
tributary to the blood-vascular system, because the lymph 
channels are maintained in normal condition through the 
integrity of the arterial blood supply in connection with 
osmotic pressure. The following description is not too 
technical for the general reader: 

"They arise in the tissues and terminate by joining the 
venous system, so that their contained fluid flows toward the 
heart. They resemble veins in having a course from periphery 
to center; in possessing valves, which are generally two in 
number and semilunar in shape; in being divided into a super- 
ficial and a deep set — the superficial lymphatics being situated, 
like the superficial veins, in the subcutaneous tissue, the deep 
lymphatics accompanying the arteries and deep veins. Lym- 
phatics differ, however, from veins in possessing in their course 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 153 

glandular enlargements, in having thinner coats, in being 
almost uniform in size, and not uniting into larger vessels as 
they pass onward in their course. As a rule, they are like 
fine threads, and their main trunk, the thoracic duct, is not 
bigger than a crow-quill." 

Special attention should be directed to the lacteal or 
chyle vessels, owing to their peculiar function as compared 
with the lymph vessels proper, together with their origin 
in the intestinal villi, by which they become responsible 
for the absorption and transmission of poisons from the 
intestinal tract — in the case of intestinal indigestion, 
ptomain poisoning and typhoid fever. The lacteals dis- 
charge the chyle directly into the thoracic duct at the 
point marked by a dilatation of the duct — receptaculum 
chyli — thence it is carried along with the lymph proper to 
the left subclavian vein, where it unites with the blood and 
thus enters the general circulation. The lymph vessels on 
the right side of the body above the diaphragm unite to 
form the right lymphatic duct, which empties into the 
right subclavian vein. 

The lymph vessels proper are also responsible for the 
absorption and distribution of poisons through the medium 
of the circulation, as must be apparent when we recall their 
intimate connection with serous structures, such as the 
pleurae, one investing each lung and lining the interior of 
the corresponding part of the chest cavity; the pericardium 
which invests the heart, and lines the bag in which the heart 
is contained; the peritoneum, which invests the abdominal 
organs, and lines the abdominal cavity; the arachnoid mem- 
brane, which invests the brain and spinal cord, enclosing 
these important organs; and the free, smooth surfaces of 
the synovial membranes which go to make up the joints. 
The serous and synovial membranes cover surfaces of 
parts which move on each other, so that the lymph or 
serum becomes an important factor in permitting freedom 
of movement, by diminishing friction. The lymph vessels 
are "very abundant" in serous membranes — in the sub- 



154 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

epithelial tissue— and from which short vessels pass ver- 
tically to open by minute orifices into the serous cavity. 

Now, what is the corollary, inference or conclusion 
deducible from the foregoing statement of facts? Necessarily 
the premises being admitted, we cannot fail to realize the 
significance of a disordered lymphatic circulation in every 
instance where the organs or structures mentioned become 
involved — from injury, from simple inflammation, or 
from septic infection, such as pleurisy, pneumonia, peri- 
carditis, peritonitis, appendicitis, cerebritis and meningitis, 
arthritis and rheumatism. 

Inasmuch as this subject has received but scant attention 
in our text-books, it will be in order to discuss briefly its 
bearing in the class of cases referred to — for the special 
purpose of elucidating the nature of the chemic deviation 
responsible for their appearance. The intractable character 
of these disorders is well known; the futility of medical 
treatment is acknowledged; and as a consequence, surgical 
operations have become the vogue, so that hospitalism 
threatens to become the war-cry of modern civilization, 
simply because the medical profession has overlooked a 
minor detail in physiologic chemistry. Indeed, as a matter 
of fact, it is no exaggeration to claim that the disorders 
mentioned would occur but seldom under rational methods 
of treatment — first and foremost being the absolute necessity 
for restoring the normal alkalescence of the body fluids 
and tissues, to make the cells tvork. 

The Lymphatic Glands. — Perhaps this subject will be 
better understood by a brief description of the lymphatic 
glands, as follows: 

" The lymphatic glands are small bodies, varying in size from 
a pea to an almond, situated in the course of the lymph vessels 
in several regions of the body. They are found especially in 
the groin, armpit, mesentery, back of the abdomen, roots of 
the lungs, and side of the neck. Entering one end of each gland 
are lymph vessels named vasa afferentia, and emerging from the 
opposite end of the gland are the lymph vessels named vasa 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 155 

efferentia. Each gland is invested by a capsule of connective 
tissue, which sends processes into the substance of the gland 
to divide it into compartments; it consists of adenoid tissue, 
and the meshes of its retiform connective tissue contain multi- 
tudes of lymph corpuscles. Each gland is permeated by a 
network of minute canals, which are continuous with both 
the vasa afferentia and efferentia; the gland, therefore, is 
traversed by a stream of lymph which washes the lymph cor- 
puscles out of the meshes of the reticulum, and in this manner 
these corpuscles find their way into the lymph. The lymph 
glands are, therefore, centers of origin for the lymph corpuscles. 
The collections of adenoid tissue, forming the solitary and 
Peyer's glands of the intestine, and found in the tonsils and 
other localities, are also without doubt, centers of formation 
for the lymph corpuscles." 

The lymphatics, it will be seen, are directly concerned in 
the production of lymph corpuscles (lymphocytes), essential 
elements in maintaining normal conditions of health. When 
the alkalinity of the blood is diminished, as is always the 
case in disease, oxidation is lessened, elimination is retarded, 
chemic changes take place, with the result that there is 
obstruction in the lymph-glandular apparatus, arresting 
or hindering tissue change, this in turn, giving rise to con- 
gestion, inflammation and breaking down of the tissues. 

Appendicitis. — Taking appendicitis as an illustration, we 
always have a history of indigestion, acute, subacute or 
chronic — and indigestion invariably points to excessive 
acidity with disordered innervation. Consecutively, the 
microorganisms in the intestinal tract are "sucked" up by 
the lacteals along with the chyle and thus are brought 
directly into contact with the congested and inflamed 
peritoneal covering of the appendix — when septic infection is 
established. Such a case is properly transferred to the surgeon, 
because the physician neglects his opportunity. Of course, 
there are "fulminant" cases of appendicitis where septic 
infection is fully established when medical advice is first 
asked for, although this rarely occurs without premonitory 



156 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

symptoms. Usually, however, the symptoms of appendicitis 
lead to drastic, even fateful treatment — the unscientific and 
reckless use of laxatives and purgatives, for which there 
is neither excuse nor reason, since the congestion, inflamma- 
tion and septic infection are in the peritoneum and connective 
tissue, and not in the intestinal canal. The doctor is playing 
"ante-over" without a partner and, of course, the game is a 
fiasco. 

A critical study of this malady will prove interesting and 
suggestive — also instructive. In addition to the lacteals — 
which carry lymph during the intervals of digestion — we have 
the lymph vessels proper in the serous membranes (peri- 
toneum), which invests the appendix; they are found also in 
the apposite connective tissues. Xow, congestion and inflam- 
mation — nearly always marked in the indigestions — tend 
to obstruction of the lymph vessels and glands. Arrest of 
function leads to disintegration of the lymph corpuscles 
with liberation of the fibrin ferment. This ferment then 
acts upon the fibrinogen to produce "clotting" — and a clot 
means obstruction, temporary or permanent, dependent 
upon the antiseptic and solvent properties of the body 
fluids, the blood and lymph. Restore the normal alkales- 
cence of the blood and these lymph structures will resume 
their functions, the congestion and inflammation will sub- 
side — although in the case of septic infection, we must 
adopt medication to act chemically upon the obstruction 
and upon the associated chemic deviation — to prevent 
extension or distribution. 

Thus, we are dealing with two distinct factors — the acid 
excess being dominant, or primary, the chemic deviation 
(magnesium infiltration), being secondary or predisposing. 
That is to say, magnesium infiltration, an effect, proceeds 
pari passu with the acidity; hence, the necessity for discrim- 
ination in the matter of treatment — and the utter folly of 
laxatives and purgatives, as well as narcotics to produce 
euthanasia, or deadly antiseptics to do harm by destroying 
the tissues. 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 157 

The Rational Plan of Treatment. — A word on the rational 
plan of treatment will be appropriate in this connection, as 
follows: (1) Neutralize acid excess by means of alkaline- 
saline medication; (2) Counteract the tendency to clotting 
in the lymph channels and glands by the employment of an 
alterative, calcium sulphide; (3) Avoid Epsom salts (mag- 
nesium sulphate), and promote magnesium dissociation, 
by the employment of its known antidote, calcium salts; 
(4) The presence of bacterial flora in excess in the intestine 
should be controlled by remedies which act through the 
medium of the nervous system, in the form of colloids, or by 
symbiosis. 

The reader should bear in mind that these teachings 
apply with equal force in the case of pleurisy, pneumonia, 
pericarditis, peritonitis, meningitis, and arthritis, since they 
all involve serous membranes and in every instance there is 
the congestion and inflammation and septic infection, and 
the same tendency to obstruction of the lymph channels and 
glands. The analogy might be carried out almost indefinitely, 
since the principles of treatment remain practically un- 
changed in dealing with other varieties or types of disease, 
such as earache, headache, neuralgia, neuritis, tonsillitis, 
goiter, mastitis, skin diseases, etc. We often see the evi- 
dences of faulty and irrational treatment — in scarlet fever, 
diphtheria and typhoid, in the form of congested, inflamed 
and suppurating lymphatic glands of the neck — and most 
unfortunately of all, modern science gives us no hint of a 
successful method of internal treatment. Indeed, it is 
doubtful if the laity would take kindly to any plan of 
treatment which gives promise of almost immediate relief, 
without local applications — and the profession would " damn 
it with faint praise," fearing that the innovation would 
decimate the ranks of their clientele. 

Osmotic Pressure and Osmosis. — These subjects have 
already been referred to; they are important biologic 
factors in both animal and plant life. We get a fairly good 
idea of the significance of osmotic pressure in the case of 
hernia (rupture), also in the case of puncture-wounds, 



158 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

when osmotic pressure causes protrusion of the underlying 
tissue — the brain, the chest and abdomen. For example, 
the brain is covered or invested with a serous membrane, 
the pia mater; the liver is likewise invested with a serous 
membrane, that portion of the peritoneum being known as 
the capsule of Glisson; the same is true of all the various 
organs, such as the lungs, heart, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, 
so that these different organs functionate under pressure, this 
pressure being regulated or controlled by the phenomenon 
known as osmosis. 

Osmosis, the diffusion of liquids through membranes, 
animal or vegetable, is modified or governed by five different 
circumstances — (1) Density of the membrane; (2) Motion 
of the liquids; (3) Chemic reactions; (4) Temperature; 
(5) Physical character — colloid or crystalline. Thus, with 
an acid liquid on one side and an alkaline solution on the 
other, diffusion takes place more rapidly than when both 
have the same chemic reaction. Motion and also heat 
wall accelerate diffusion, but density of the membrane is 
always an essential factor. Again, while colloids, such as 
starch, gelatin, albumin, etc., diffuse slowly, crystalline 
solutions quickly pass through membranes, this being 
notably augmented by heat and motion. 

To secure osmotic pressure, therefore, the particles, simple 
or compound substances, must be dissolved — as is the 
condition of the body fluids. Hence, the necessity for taking 
account of the chemic reactions in treating disease — if we 
expect to maintain osmotic pressure and insure osmosis 
in the glandular appendages, in the various organs, and 
generally, in the tissues throughout the body. Osmotic 
pressure is equivalent to that (force) which would be exerted 
by an equal amount of the substance, when converted into 
a gas and occupied the same volume at the same temperature 
as the solution. 

When the body fluids, blood and lymph, are surcharged 
with acid, osmosis is diminished, or ceases altogether — as in 
disease — but this clinical fact is overlooked or neglected in 
conducting treatment, routine methods being confined to the 



CHEMIC DEVIATIONS IN VASCULAR SYSTEM 159 

administration of remedies which enact the role of stimulants, 
a subject more fully discussed under the head of "Inorganic 
Ferments." That is to say, in the case of debility, stimulants 
are employed; when heart failure threatens — in pneumonia, 
influenza, typhoid, diphtheria and scarlet fever — resort 
must be had to stimulants, and that, too, regardless of the 
patent fact that the debility and cardiac embarrassment 
are due to the chemic deviations in the body fluids. Of 
course, the medicaments employed, entering the blood as 
solutions, exert osmotic pressure, because of their surface 
energy, and thereby augment osmosis, but it is an artificial 
stimulus, and necessarily transient. By simply neutralizing 
acidity, the demand for artificial stimuli disappears — and 
it seems incredible that this hiatus has so long escaped the 
attention of the medical profession. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE. 

A Practical Theory — Proportions of Lime and Magnesia in the 
Nuclear Mass — Maintaining the Heart Throb — Mineral Salts in 
Animal Organisms (Tabulation) — The Demand for Phosphoric Acid — 
Magnesium a Resistance Coil — Types of Magnesium Infiltration — 
The Chemistry of Insanity — Neurasthenia. 

In physiologic studies we must always carefully note any 
fact which does not accord with received ideas. It is always 
from the examination and discussion of this exceptional fact 
that a discovery will be made, if there is one to make. 

Claude Bernard. 

A Practical Theory. — In view of the frequent sudden deaths 
from some obscure heart trouble, so-called "heart failure," 
the present inquiry seems timely and pertinent. Indeed, 
the alarming frequency, coupled with the fact that the 
malady attacks rich and poor alike in every station of life; 
and not alone those who are confined to the sick-bed, but 
also those who are apparently in perfect health, appears as 
a challenge to the medical profession, demanding at least a 
reasonably convincing and practical theory as to the under- 
lying cause, or causes — direct and indirect, immediate 
and remote, inherent or personal and hereditary, dietetic 
or climatic, anatomic, physiologic or chemic. The terms 
"nerve-strain," "brain-storm," "emotional excitement," 
and other spavined excuses are utterly meaningless to the 
scientist, while the intelligent layman cleaves more trustingly 
to his preconceived agnosticism. However, the conditions 
and symptoms are now so easily recognized that the final 
tragedy may be averted, or indefinitely postponed, and 
thus, heart failure is no longer an academic question. 

Following up the line of research outlined in the pre- 
ceding pages, the present article will aim to concentrate 
the attention upon a varied assortment of facts, anatomic, 
physiologic and chemic, convincing in themselves, and when 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 161 

coordinated with therapeutic results, the demonstration is 
complete and conclusive. 

For the reader's convenience, it should be stated that 
magnesium infiltration is a diathesis involving the nerve 
structures — and cellular activities — as a result of magnesium 
deposits, with coincident depletion of the lime content. 

Both lime and magnesium are proximate principles, 
essential, elementary substances, without which neither 
animal nor plant life could exist. Remove these minerals 
from the dietary of man and animals, and there follows 
muscular weakness with nervous excitability and finally 
death from spasm — a fairly complete counterpart of the 
phenomenon which occurs in heart failure, the spasms 
taking place in the muscular mechanism and traceable to 
insulation of the organ, through deposits of magnesium, 
which hinder, impede or destroy the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of nerve impulses. 

Another fact of paramount importance relates to the 
distribution of mineral substances in health, together with 
elimination during disease. Thus, the proportion of lime 
and magnesia differs in the various organs, and that too, 
with a marked and peculiar regularity, while in certain 
diseases, and notably in starvation and inanition, there is a 
loss of lime without any increased output of magnesium 
salts. Diabetes furnishes an illustration, the marked elimin- 
ation of lime being attended with muscular weakness and 
nervous excitability. Tuberculosis supplies another example, 
the elimination of lime being out of proportion to the loss 
of magnesia. To be understood, however, these devia- 
tions must be interpreted: They are actually conservative, 
the formation of nucleo-proteids being dependent upon the 
presence of magnesium salts. In the presence of an acid, 
however, there is lime depletion, replacement by magnesia 
and death of the cells, since magnesium compounds do 
not possess the property of imbibition (absorption). 

Still another point should be mentioned, namely, that 
magnesia is found in excess during growth and development, 
a fact to be borne in mind when we have to deal with any 
11 



162 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

serious disease in children and adolescents, since the 
organized nucleo-proteids undergo transformation as above 
described. Another redeeming feature is to be found in the 
fact that the nuclear mass in embryos and young animals is 
larger in proportion than in adults — and the lime content 
is greater. 

Proportions of Lime and Magnesia in the Nuclear Mass. — 
A study of the proportions of lime and magnesia in relation 
to the percentage of nuclear mass, both interesting and 
instructive, has a special bearing upon the present inquiry, 
owing to the convenience for comparison. For example, the 
nucleus of a muscle fiber is small, while the relative size of 
the nuclear mass in glandular organs is large and the lime 
content greater in proportion. The accompanying tables 
have been adapted from Dr. Oscar Loew's excellent mono- 
graph, The Physiological Role of Mineral Nutrients, published 
some years ago. The analyses of Katz show that the 
muscles of fishes and batrachia contain two or three times 
the lime content found in those of mammalia, this work 
having been preceded by the findings of zoologists, to the 
effect that these muscles are relatively richer in nuclear 
mass than those of mammalia — the muscles of mammalia 
contain in most cases more magnesia than those of frogs 
and fishes. In addition, should be mentioned here the fact 
that in certain organs where the nuclear mass is small, there 
is a relative increase of magnesia, the human brain con- 
taining about ten times as much magnesium phosphate as 
calcium phosphate. This latter observation should stimu- 
late investigation on the part of psychiatrists and alienists, 
in view of the fact that magnesium oxide is soluble in weak 
solution of carbon dioxide. The question naturally comes 
up, Do anodynes, hypnotics and sedatives act indirectly, 
by favoring an accumulation of carbon dioxide, and thus 
produce hydrolysis of the magnesium oxide? 

Maintaining the Heart Throb. — This inquiry is also perti- 
nent when we consider the relative proportions in human 
muscle, three to one, although it shows the natural safety 
valve afforded to promote recovery. Take the heart muscles 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 163 

as an illustration. The investigations of His show that a 
special bundle of muscular fibers connects the upper and 
lower chambers of the heart, transmitting the heart impulse 
in such a direct way that a rhythmical throb is accurately 
maintained. Now, as a result of impaired digestion, or 
disease, with consecutive acid excess, certain chemic changes 
take place in these muscular fibers and coincidently in their 
nerve supply — and as a result of defective innervation there 
is a lack of muscular coordination with cardiac embarrass- 
ment. The modern, strenuous life is a factor, but not 
necessarily the principal cause of heart failure, the correct- 
ness of this deduction being shown by the results of rational 
treatment. 

Mineral Salts in Animal Organisms. — The following tables, 
showing the proportions of lime and magnesia in animal 
organisms, have been carefully compiled from reliable 
data and will serve to emphasize the claims advanced. 

Animal Organisms — 1,000 Parts Fresh Muscle. 

Part calcium. Part magnesium. 

Dog 0685 .2370 

Hog 0806 .2823 

Deer 0959 .2906 

Cat 0846 .2863 

Man 0748 .2116 

Average 0809 .2611 

Fishes and Batrachia. 

Frog 1566 .2353 

Shad 2206 .1670 

Eel 3913 .1782 

Average 2562 .1935 

Fresh liver, 1,000 parts 2842 .0125 

Comparison of Averages. 

Calcium. Magnesium. Calcium. Magnesium. 

Mammalia (muscles) . . 1.0 to 3.23 or 0.31 to 1.0 
Man (muscles) . . . . 1.0 to 2.95 or 0.33 to 1.0 
Frogs and fish (muscles) . 1 . to . 75 or 1 . 33 to 1 . 

Liver (mammalia) . . . 1.0 to 0.04 or 25. 00 to 1.0 

Brain (human) .... 1.0 to 10.00 or 0.10 to 1.0 



164 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

The foregoing figures are interesting and suggestive only 
when we bear in mind that growth and development are 
dependent upon a minimum supply of the mineral salts, 
all proteins being combined with mineral substances, thus 
giving them specific properties; that one cannot replace 
another, and that functional disorders, as well as the various 
prevalent diseases, are attended with derangement of the 
physiologic equilibrium, one of the most important of these 
being the linie depletion of the nuclear proteid consequent 
upon an acid excess, with consecutive decrease in the normal 
alkalescence of the blood. 1 

Moreover, solutions of mineral salts possess osmotic 
properties and produce motion — in the body fluids — so 
that when taken into the stomach, alone, or as part of the 
food, an osmosis immediately begins, one current into 
the stomach, and another from the intestinal tract. 

The Demand for Phosphoric Acid. — An explanatory note 
should be added relative to the demand for phosphoric 
acid, this substance being responsible for the weak alkaline 
reaction of the protoplasm; it is also essential to the produc- 
tion of calcium phosphate — for bone formation. Hence, 
we are confronted with defective bone formation in the 
absence of lime or calcium, arising from acid excess. Another 
significant fact relates to the functions of lime and magnesia 
in growing plants. Thus, when the former is diminished in 
experimental investigations, growth is affected unfavorably, 
the employment of organic fertilizers being insufficient to 
restore them to normal, although the beneficial effects fol- 

1 As a matter of fact, only bacteria and certain low forms of vegetable 
organisms can sustain life and fructify in solutions containing mag- 
nesium salts in abundance. Thus, magnesium infiltration becomes 
a dangerous complication in every disease due to bacterial invasion. 
Bacteriologists have not overlooked this peculiar property, and as a 
result, we find that all culture solutions are liberally charged with 
magnesium salts. The reason for this lies in the fact that these solu- 
tions furnish the most favorable conditions for the assimilation of 
phosphoric acid and they are available whether acid or alkaline. This 
is well illustrated in the case of rapidly growing children, where bone 
formation is defective and attacks of infectious disease are always 
serious and convalescence prolonged. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 165 

lowing the addition of lime are pronounced and permanent. 
The same is true when studied clinically, all forbidding 
symptoms disappearing as if by magic on the exhibition of 
lime salts in the case of magnesium infiltration, even to 
the complications threatened by the presence of bacteria. 
While it is not safe to claim that lime is an antidote to mag- 
nesium in excess, the evidence in its favor as a catalyzer 
is apparently conclusive — and in the treatment of " magnesia 
heart" the results are little short of marvelous. 

Magnesia a Resistance Coil. — Enacting the role of a resist- 
ance coil, magnesia is a regulator and controller in the 
transmission of electric energy; it is also an important 
factor in the distribution and radiation of heat. In the for- 
mer instance, a surplus deposit interferes with nutrition by 
hindering the transmission of nerve impulses, easily recog- 
nized in the circumscribed, lancinating head-pains which 
precede paralysis and apoplexy. In the latter case, insulation 
leads to skin diseases, paresthesia, and in pellagra, gangrene 
of the extremities, this peculiar feature being well marked 
in eczema and psoriasis, after the exhibition of calcium 
salts in small doses — when the subjective sensation of heat 
radiation is intense. 

Types of Magnesium Infiltration. — According to my present 
conception of the diathesis, three distinct types of mag- 
nesium infiltration may be recognized by the clinician, viz.: 

1. Simple replacement. 

2. Chemic transformation. 

3. United with calcium. 

(1) Simple replacement may be studied in the later stages 
of cholera morbus, cholera infantum, typhoid fever, gastro- 
intestinal catarrh and other varieties of bowel troubles, 
both acute and chronic, characterized by muscular weak- 
ness and nervous excitability — the morbid complexus being 
due to the replacement consecutive to acid excess. The 
administration of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salt), like- 
wise furnishes an excellent illustration of replacement, the 
acid radicle combining with the calcium content of the 
nucleo-proteid, magnesium taking its place and transforming 
it into a magnesium nucleo-proteid. 



166 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

(2) Chemic transformation is a more or less constant 
factor in all deviations from normal, because of the trans- 
formation of the magnesium salts into magnesium oxide, 
through the action of oxidase, a normal product of glandular 
activity. Magnesium oxide is the only known substance 
which will combine with organic colloids in alkaline solu- 
tion, and it is assumed that this position is tenable and 
warranted — the evidence being supplied by laboratory 
demonstration. Further, it is amply confirmed by the 
crucial test of clinical experience, magnesium dissociation 
being followed by recovery. 

Included in this category, several disorders should be 
mentioned as a means of giving a practical turn to the 
present article. First in order comes heart failure, an 
extremely complex problem, in view of the fact that it arises 
from muscular spasm due to defective innervation (inco- 
ordination), consecutive to diminished alkalescence of the 
blood and deposit in the nerve structures of magnesium 
oxide — a chemic transformation. A similar condition is 
seen in the case of neuritis, where the pain is constant. In 
neuralgia, particularly the persistent cases, there is a sus- 
picion of calcium oxide being present as a complication, when 
treatment fails to show the usual prompt results, although, 
bearing in mind that the disorder in all cases is merely a 
local manifestation of constitutional involvement, we must 
use our best endeavors to correct the diathesis. 

The chemistry of insanity must eventually be worked out 
on this hypothesis, as the disorder is almost certainly trace- 
able to intestinal indigestion as the initial deviation from 
normal, with or without liver complication. Indeed, the 
investigations so far have brought to light one of the most 
potent arguments against "race suicide." For example, it 
is well known that celebates as a class are more susceptible 
to insanity than the married. From analogy we reason 
that the development of magnesium oxide being the same 
in the animal and vegetable kingdoms under normal con- 
ditions, this similarity would also hold good under abnormal 
conditions, referring here to fruit-bearing and child-bearing. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 167 

The fact is that the wood of non-bearing fruit trees contains 
from sixty to one hundred per cent, more magnesium oxide 
than those which are fruiting — during the same year. 1 
Thus do we winnow the chaff of superstition and tradition 
until we find the kernel containing the germ of truth. 

Neurasthenia should be mentioned in this connection, 
since one of the most successful expedients in treatment 
accomplishes in part the hydrolysis of magnesium oxide — 
the Nauheim bath. Stress is laid upon the temperature of 
the water, the formation of bubbles which stick to the 
skin and also the addition of calcium chloride, patients 
being cautioned about exercise for at least an hour after 
the bath, because of the embarrassing effect upon the heart. 
Of course, it is now an open secret that in neurasthenia — and 
also in heart disease — magnesium oxide involves the trophic 
nerves, so that when carbonic acid in hot solution penetrates 
the pores of the skin, osmosis ensues, chemic transformation 
takes place, shown by the bubbles, and the calcium present 
in the bath supplants the magnesium deposits, thus gradually 
restoring the nerve structures to normal. 

How long it will be, and just how many baths will be 
required, before the nerve supply of the heart is ameliorated, 
are difficult questions to answer without referring to the 
literature, but the probabilities are that they are similar 
to the instructions given for carrying out the " Rest Cure" — 
stay in bed seven or ten weeks, then go back for another 
series. 

(3) Lime and magnesia constitute the main ingredients 
of cement; when water, sand, and broken stone are added, 
chemic action takes place, carbon dioxide is given off and 

1 The thirtieth annual report of the Pennsylvania State Hospital for 
the Insane, at Norristown, recently issued, apparently confirms this 
deduction. Thus, with a resident population of nearly three thousand, 
the report shows that the greater number are women — and also that 
there are more single men and single women in the wards than there 
are married ones. A significant fact with a direct bearing upon this 
factor relates to the age when the mental disorder first manifested 
itself — a majority of the men being overcome between twenty-five and 
thirty years of age, while the greatest number of women were affected 
between the ages of twenty and thirty. 



168 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

concrete formed. The human liver contains nearly two per 
cent, inorganic matter, together with liquids, and with the 
normal allowance of lime and magnesia passing through 
it, were it not for the presence of organic matter, living, 
organized cells, there would be danger of concrete forming 
■ — usually called gall-stone. 

It is in evidence that the liver does at times develop the 
characteristics of a stone quarry, women being much more 
susceptible than men. Stone is also found in the kidneys, in 
the intestine, and I have collected several reliable reports 
where "stone" had involved the heart. It is not unusual 
to find patients with arteries so brittle that they must be 
cautioned against undue exertion, and a surgical operation 
requiring an anesthetic is out of the question — because of the 
deposits of magnesium united with calcium. 

In conclusion, there are three distinct lines of chemic 
deviation indicated by a study of the problem in nutrition — 

(1) Impaired digestive capacity. 

(2) Acid excess. 

(3) Magnesium infiltration. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE— 
Continued. 

The Magnesia Heart — Diagnosis — Objective Symptoms — The 
Psychic Factor — Subjective Symptoms — Muscular Twitching — Numb- 
ness — Insomnia — Associated Symptoms — Cerebral Symptoms — The 
Tendency to Obesity — Arterio-sclerosis — Class of Cases — Treatment 
(Tabulation) — Symptomatic and Collateral Treatment (Tabulation) — 
To Restore the Digestive Capacity — To Neutralize Acid Excess — To 
Promote Magnesium Dissociation — Lymph-stasis — Hepatic Insuffi- 
ciency — Constipation (Epsom Salts) — Typical Illustrations — Aphasia 
— Statistics. 

"The Magnesia Heart" is the name which I have employed 
provisionally to cover practically all functional derange- 
ments dependent upon disordered innervation arising from 
magnesium infiltration, and involving the cardiac nerve 
mechanism, together with the disturbances due to organic 
changes in the circulatory apparatus and musculature from 
the same cause. Magnesia heart must be differentiated 
from rheumatism, neuritis, neuralgia, calcification, sclerosis 
from specific infection, septic infection, ptomain poisoning 
from the alimentary canal and from myocardial degeneration, 
which is not difficult when the associated symptoms are so 
easily distinguished. Add to this the universal alarm which 
prevails among men over fifty years of age, owing to the 
frequency of sudden death within their circle of acquaintance, 
and w T e have an incentive, a stimulus to discover the mystery 
— by verifying or disproving the claims here presented. 

The chemic deviations in the vascular system are dis- 
cussed sufficiently in detail in the preceding pages to enable 
the reader to comprehend the significance of the various 
types of degeneration — as understood by physicians gener- 
ally. In the case of "magnesia heart," how r ever, there are 
certain signs and symptoms peculiar to the disorder which 
enable us to make a positive diagnosis — because the corrob- 



170 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

orative evidence is complete, more fully developed in the 
subsequent reports of typical cases. 

Diagnosis: Objective Symptoms. — The most character- 
istic objective symptom of magnesia heart is lack of motor 
power. The heart sound is muffled; the first sound is 
indistinct, while the second sound is accentuated — with 
valvular incoordination, there is a watch-tick "click." In 
most instances, there is a significant "boom," or metallic 
sound, following (coincident or consecutive), each cardiac 
contraction, due to the lack of resiliency in the arteries — 
arterio-sclerosis. Thus, we find associated chemic changes 
in the arterial system, the small, quick pulse, increased 
blood pressure, and abnormal reflexes, showing the intimate 
relation to the nervous system. Other objective symptoms 
include acid salivary reaction (usually), highly acid cuta- 
neous reaction, together with intense acidity of the urine — 
and of course, all this means diminished alkalescence of the 
body fluids (blood and lymph), and necessarily, evidences 
of impairment of the digestive capacity, notably intestinal 
digestion. Percussion over the stomach usually shows 
more or less distension, perhaps dilatation, but the most 
significant symptom is to be found by percussion over the 
ascending colon. The evidence of intestinal indigestion, 
from acid excess, is strikingly elicited— by gaseous accumu- 
lation, with distension, or even well marked dilatation, so 
that many of these subjects live in constant dread of an 
operation for appendicitis. 

The psychic factor, therefore, must not be overlooked. 
Indeed, it is not unusual to find that an operation has been 
done under the impression that chronic appendicitis might 
be responsible for the nervous manifestations. The neur- 
asthenic element is usually pronounced and patients are 
skeptical in regard to treatment, because the diagnosis is not 
in harmony with their own conception, nor does it correspond 
with the deductions of their previous medical attendants. 

Subjective Symptoms. — The subjective symptoms are less 
informative, since their presence may be associated with 
other changes of a physiologic nature, which tend rather 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 171 

to obscure the dominant factor. Some of them, however, 
are of sufficient importance to require consideration. For 
example, persons suffering from magnesia heart experience 
difficulty in breathing on the slightest exertion; a walk of a 
few blocks up a slight incline will cause them to stop and 
rest. Another symptom relates to sudden attacks of faintness 
or dizziness, even when the person is not exercising; in fact, 
these attacks may come on when the patient is lying in bed, 
and. as a rule, they will say they are unable to lie upon the 
left side because it produces a sense of suffocation. Sighing 
or yawning are other subjective symptoms due, in my 
opinion, to defective or impaired innervation of the dia- 
phragm, because in young persons this difficulty may be 
overcome by moderate stimulation of the vasomotor nerves 
along with remedies which act upon the lymphatics. So, 
we see how the chemic deviation extends and involves 
different functions. 

Muscular twitching is not unusual; it may affect the super- 
ficial muscles of the arms or legs, or it may manifest itself 
by causing a sense of tremulousness in the abdomen, this 
latter symptom being more noticeable in females. A case 
of muscular twitching following a surgical operation is 
interesting in this connection. A gentleman upwards of 
fifty years of age slipped on the ice, causing dislocation of 
the knee-joint with fracture of the patella. Taken to the 
hospital, the first operation was directed to the dislocation, 
the patellar fragments being united a week or ten days 
later. Immediately there was twitching in the muscles 
of the injured leg, so much so that the patient was unable 
to sleep. To overcome this difficulty the surgeons could 
find nothing better than morphine. Fortunately, the 
victim was suspicious that he would become an habitue, 
and after the treatment had been continued for a week or 
more, he declined it. While this man was in the hospital, of 
course, it was not practical for me to interfere with the 
treatment, but I promised to afford relief when he returned 
home. The record of this case will be found more complete 
on page 288. 



172 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Numbness affecting the fingers and toes is very common, 
and it is not unusual to have patients complain of this 
peculiar lack of sensation on awakening in the morning. 
Indeed, they often suffer from indigestion, and this causes 
sleeplessness, so that they frequently wake up and find it 
necessary to " rub" their hands and fingers in order to restore 
the circulation. A personal acquaintance who rides on the 
same train with me, a man 54 years of age, and quite stout, 
seemed to take a great deal of pride in this peculiarity, 
because the doctors had not been able to relieve him, but 
when I told him it was likely to shorten his life, he shunned 
me — nobody wants to hear bad news, especially when they 
feel warranted in not believing it. In 1884, I reported a 
case of endarteritis, occurring in a lady over 50 years of 
age, and fortunately, I had opportunities for advising 
treatment occasionally, although not as regularly as I 
should, with the result that she lived to be about 79 and 
enjoyed remarkably good health, except occasional acute 
attacks of indigestion. She was not disposed to take kindly 
to dietetic suggestions, feeling that it was unnecessary, 
because she had all her life eaten just what she wanted to, 
what was palatable. 

In some cases the peculiar "boom" and "click" attending 
the heart contractions become very annoying. Patients 
complain that they are unable to get to sleep because of the 
sound being carried to the left ear, but when treatment has 
caused this to disappear, they seem to think it was a good 
joke. Pain over the heart is not a common subjective 
symptom, although this is manifested in persons of sedentary 
habits after continued exertion or physical exhaustion. 

A case is recalled, that of a man weighing over 200 pounds who 
had this difficulty for a year or more. He had been advised 
that it was a rheumatic element, but the salicylates afforded 
no relief. This treatment was alternated with osteo-therapy, 
but while the latter was of temporary benefit, no permanency 
was secured. After being subjected to the usual manipulations, 
he felt entirely free from pain, but it would return with as much 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 173 

violence after he had walked half a dozen blocks to his office 
or to his home. The administration of iodo-calcium was 
attended with immediate and complete relief, the patient dis- 
continuing the medicine after a period of three or four days — 
on the mistaken supposition that treatment had been con- 
ducted for the purpose of acting upon the bowels. As a result 
of relieving the tension, the secretions were increased to an 
alarming extent, being from five to ten free bowel movements 
daily, mostly of a watery character with coffee-ground sediment. 

A few months later, the pain returned, however, although 
less persistent, and the patient seemed to think that osteo- 
therapy was the only treatment that gave promise of relief, 
and, of course, I encouraged him, with the result that after a 
month or six weeks a cure was established. The patient was 
informed that the heart pain was due to sub-luxation of a rib. 

The record of this case is particularly interesting, since it 
shows the difficulties in diagnosis as well as the limitations of 
medical treatment and osteo-therapy. 

Insomnia is almost invariably a subjective symptom, and 
these patients, as a rule, furnish clinical pictures — of intes- 
tinal indigestion. They regularly wake up between two 
and three o'clock in the morning and find it difficult to get 
to sleep again; when they do sleep, however, it is from 
exhaustion, and they awaken late in the morning very 
much depressed, with no appetite, and if food is persisted 
in, the result is headache, nausea, intestinal pain, with 
looseness of the bowels and constipation alternating. 

Associated Symptoms. — The associated symptoms are 
especially valuable in confirming the diagnosis from the 
objective symptoms, and unfortunately, these symptoms 
or manifestations are treated as entities. Thus, the optic 
nerve may be involved or the nerve supply of the muscles, 
and it seems necessary to apply glasses. Let the same 
patient submit to treatment for the relief of this compli- 
cation (magnesium infiltration), and the glasses may be 
discontinued. This is true of all the organs of special sense. 
A person may suffer from defective hearing, owing to 



174 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

involvement of the nerve supply, with lymph-stasis, but 
when this difficulty is corrected, the hearing is restored. 
The same is true of taste and smell, and in respect to the 
latter, it is noteworthy to observe that as a result of the 
chemic deviation in the body fluids, both taste and smell 
may be subjected to peculiar variations from normal, but 
a study of this question will lead us too far from the subject 
in hand. 

It may be stated generally that the nerve supply of 
muscles may be involved to such an extent that the condi- 
tion of the heart is overlooked. Thus, we may have inco- 
ordination of the muscles of deglutition. The patient may 
be unable to swallow food without choking, and it is not 
unusual to have these subjects complain of a peculiar, pain- 
ful sensation in the throat, or at the root of the tongue. A 
medical acquaintance, a gentleman over sixty-five years 
of age, whom I had known for nearly twenty-five years, 
told me one day about his throat difficulty. He named the 
prominent men who had made a "thorough examination ;" 
he said that they were utterly nonplussed, as they could 
find no growth, congestion or morbid condition whatever, 
and he added, "I suppose you would say this was due to 
magnesium infiltration?" In reply, I said, of course, and 
that the treatment would confirm the diagnosis, but he 
was even more than suspicious and treated the suggestion 
with ridicule. As a final shot, I told him that the throat 
difficulty was simply a local manifestation of constitutional 
derangement, and that it was only a question of time when 
my diagnosis would be verified, and, six months later, he 
died after a short illness. 

Similarly, the nerve supply of different organs may 
become involved along with the chemic deviation in the 
nerve supply of the heart. We have ample evidence of 
this in the case of liver disorders, and notably in diabetes 
mellitus. The kidneys also suffer in like manner, marked 
evidences of this being found in the case of B right's disease 
(nephritis). The abdominal viscera do not escape, shown 
by the tendency in these cases toward constipation, by the 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 175 

frequency of symptoms accompanying an infection of the 
appendix, and in females, the almost universal complaint 
of menstrual difficulties. At the present writing the writer 
has under observation a lady, 45 years of age, who has 
suffered for a considerable period from involvement of the 
nerve supply of the rectal muscles, a typical case of neuritis, 
which readily yielded to treatment conducted for the pur- 
pose of promoting magnesium dissociation, rectal dilatation 
being added. This patient also had various typical objective 
and subjective symptoms — the heart had the watch-tick 
click, there was acid salivary reaction, marked evidences 
of intestinal indigestion, and she said she could feel the 
intermittent action of the heart even while lying in bed. 
In addition to this, there were muscular twitchings affecting 
the superficial muscles, small patches of numbness were 
noted in the extremities, fingers and toes. Apparently, a 
woman of robust health, these chemic deviations had caused 
her to become for all practical purposes a semi-invalid, and 
the neurasthenic element was pronounced. 

The cerebral symptoms associated with magnesia heart 
are frequently such as to attract more attention than the 
principal condition. Such patients will complain of a ten- 
dency to stumble as they walk along the street, showing 
that the cerebellum is involved, which interferes with 
muscular coordination. Along with this, we are almost 
certain to develop symptoms of involvement of the motor 
areas of the brain; the subject will complain of the toes 
catching on the steps when ascending stairs, and as the 
motor areas for the legs and feet are located near Broca's 
convolution, it is not unusual to find symptoms of aphasia 
or agraphia, or both. However, these latter symptoms are 
frequently so slight as to be overlooked by the patient, and 
unless brought out by careful inquiry, we are liable to lose 
sight of an important factor in diagnosis. 

A critical study of these degenerative changes affecting 
the brain tissues will enable us to understand the morbid 
changes which take place in paresis — softening of the brain — 
as follows: 



176 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

"A chronic progressive meningo-encephalitis, characterized 
by a productive arteritis involving especially the adventitia, 
with degenerative atrophy and sclerosis of the cortex and sub- 
cortical portions of the brain. Degenerative changes in spinal 
cord are associated." 

The tendency to obesity should be referred to in this con- 
nection, in view of the fact that corpulency increases the 
work of the heart; hence, the frequency of sudden death 
in such cases from heart failure when the victim is appar- 
ently enjoying robust health. We must bear in mind how 
adipose tissue is developed, how the actual presence of fat 
compressing the muscular tissue gradually lessens its bulk, 
and consecutively, its strength, and also that these changes 
result in less exercise with diminished oxidation, and the 
vicious circle is complete. 

From the foregoing comments, the reader will easily 
perceive that the magnesia heart is not in the shape of a 
sign-post, so prominent that any one can readily distinguish 
it, and yet it is constantly present. Consequently, the 
dominating, central defect receives but little attention, 
the general practitioner treating the associated symptoms 
actively, while cautioning the patient that he has a weak 
heart. Thus, it comes about when a fatal termination 
occurs suddenly and a post-mortem is demanded, we may 
find numerous evidences of disordered nutrition, all of 
which are traceable either directly or indirectly to the chemic 
deviation under discussion. This is well illustrated in the 
case of a local celebrity who died recently in a Philadelphia 
hospital. It seems that this man had frequently boasted 
that no one disease could kill him. An epileptic spasm 
brought him to the hospital, and after death, the physicians 
gave no less than six causes, as follows: Chronic pachy- 
meningitis, congestion of the kidneys and spleen, fatty 
degeneration of the liver, dilatation of heart, abscess on the 
lungs and edema of the lungs. The man was 40 years of 
age, enjoyed the best of health, but had no home. He was 
brought up in an orphan asylum, and spent most of his 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE Y17 

time on the streets, living here and there, enjoying life in 
his own peculiar way. 

Arterio-sclerosis. — In arterio-sclerosis, or hardening of 
the blood vessels, we have to deal with pathologic con- 
ditions which lead to closure of the lumen, thus interfering 
with the blood supply of a large or small area, producing 
at times atheroma, or an infarct — and the frequency of 
attendant neurasthenic symptoms makes clear its intimate 
connection with, or dependence upon, involvement of the 
nervous system. Evidently, the cellular structures compos- 
ing the intima of the vessels are first affected, in consequence 
of a defective blood supply from the vasa vasorum, whose 
innervation becomes impaired through diminished alkales- 
cence of the blood; hence, it is a local symptom of consti- 
tutional derangement, the immediate and remote effects 
being magnesium infiltration and calcification. Under such 
conditions the futility of treatment based upon Loeb's 
theory of nerve stimuli to promote alkalescence must be 
apparent to the most superficial observer — although the 
order of the day includes rest, exercise, tonics, arterial 
sedatives, alteratives, electricity, baths, psycho-therapy, 
hypnosis, mechano-therapy, artificial hyperemia, etc., all 
going to show the lack of fundamental principles as a basis 
of treatment. Bleeding would be far superior to any of 
the methods mentioned, because it would lessen tension, 
create a leucocytosis and thus afford temporary relief, but 
patients are not bled nowadays until after rupture of the 
brittle arteries. 

Insurance officers have become suspicious of applicants 
who show high arterial tension as dangerous risks, and in 
the near future the general practitioner will be called upon 
to treat them, so that a discussion on this topic must prove 
welcome. 

When it has been determined that magnesium infiltration 
is the causative factor in the production of arterio-sclerosis 
with its accompanying high arterial tension and neuras- 
thenic symptoms, direct efforts should be made to improve 
metabolism — restoring as far as possible the physiologic 
12 



178 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

equilibrium by neutralizing acid excess, coupled with chemic 
dissociation of the magnesium salts. Unless the normal 
alkalinity of the blood be maintained, suboxidation recurs, 
with defective elimination, and besides, diet is not a question 
of minor significance; indeed, it is of paramount importance 
after patients have reached fifty years of age. 

Class of Cases.- — In view of the frequent, we might say 
common, occurrence of heart failure, as reported in the 
daily newspapers, any attempt to classify would be futile — 
indeed, it would be a work of supererogation, since the 
malady is practically universal. In disease, it affects both 
young and old in all stations of life, while in apparent health, 
only children and adolescents escape its insidious invasion. 
Even here, as a result of dietetic errors, occupation and 
environment, it is not unusual to find many of the symptoms 
previously enumerated, objective, subjective and associated, 
so that it requires no "prevision of genius" to work out the 
problem of their future. 

Treatment. — Before presenting the clinical reports, together 
with a partial record of rare cases, it will be profitable to 
study in outline, the plan of treatment. As previously 
announced, there are three distinct indications, that is, 
three morbid conditions to correct for the purpose of rees- 
tablishing the physical equilibrium, physiologic and chemic. 
Now, since normal metabolism or tissue change proceeds 
only under favorable conditions relating to assimilation, 
primary and secondary, it follows that we should first 
endeavor to restore the digestive capacity to a status 
approaching normal, a physiologic and chemic problem. 
In the second place, as has been shown, acid excess, a chemic 
deviation, being the direct and immediate effect of disordered 
nutrition, treatment should be conducted for the purpose 
of correcting or neutralizing this defect — and in many 
instances this alone is all-sufficient, since it contributes to 
regain normal digestion, while preventing or anticipating 
subsequent degenerative changes. This brings us to the 
third indication, the demand for chemic stimuli, to remove 
the inorganic deposits in the tissues, including nerve tissue, 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 179 

which impede, hinder or destroy the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of nerve impulses, thereby interfering with the 
functional activity of the cellular structures. This is the 
chemic problem in nutrition, and here lies the gist of our 
contention, since it can be easily demonstrated from a 
clinical standpoint and proven beyond question scientifically, 
by experimental investigation. Moreover, the scientific 
evidence upon which the deductions are based is an open 
book, so that "he who runs may read," provided, of course, 
that he possesses the mental capacity for entertaining more 
than a single syllogism at one and the same time. 

The following tabulation or diagram is well calculated to 
illustrate graphically the preceding remarks covering the 
principles of treatment, and together with the comments 
will, it is believed, be sufficiently clear and comprehensible 
to enable the reader to form an intelligent conception of 
the scheme as a whole and in detail. 



Treatment of Magnesia Heart (Schema). 
/. Restore the Digestive Capacity. 

Gall-Ipecac Comp — Tonic Stimulant; Activator; 
Copper Arsenite — Intestinal Antiseptic; 
Bacillus Bulgaricus — Symbiosis. 

II. Neutralize Acid Excess. 

Solution Potassium Citrate — Refrigerant, diaphoretic; 
Spirit of Mindererus — Febrifuge, diaphoretic; 
Alkaline-saline — Cell depurant, eliminant. 

III. Promote Magnesium Dissociation. 

f Calcium sulphate (gypsum); 
Simple Replacement: \ Calcium carbonate (vitalized chalk) ; 
[ Calcium phosphate. 

Slodo-calcium ; 
Calcium iodide; 
Calcium carbonate. 

f Iodo-calcium; 
United with Calcium: \ Calcium iodide; 

[ Acid sulph. aromatic. 



180 



DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 



In addition to the above outline, and in advance of a 
detailed analysis, the accompanying diagram relative to symp- 
tomatic and collateral treatment will serve to make the thera- 
peutic picture more complete, suggesting as it does the probable 
complications or consecutive deviations from normal, along 
with the most available and practical lines of treatment for 
their relief — or mitigation. 



IV. Symptomatic and Collateral Treatment. 



Vasomotor Disturbances: 



Lymph-stasis: 



Hepatic Insufficiency: 



Constipation: 



Dietary: 



Gold and sodium chloride; 

Static electricity; 

Thyroids. 

Nauheim baths; 

Calcium sulphide; 

Osteo-therapy. 

Soda succinate; 

Gall-ipecac Comp.; 

Podophyllin and mercury biniodide. 

Calcium carbonate; 

Apia (tablets); 

Epsom salts (?). 

Should be regulated ("balanced"), 
as to proteids, fats, and carbo- 
hydrates, and furnish two parts 
lime to one part magnesia, the 
number of calories being deter- 
mined by the work performed. 



(1) To Restore the Digestive Capacity. — Taking up these 
topics in regular order, it should be stated that the gall- 
ipecac comp. 1 enacts the role of a tonic stimulant. With a 
dry diet, that means, a diet free from liquids, tea, coffee, 
milk, water, wine, beer, whiskey, etc., it stimulates the flow 
of gastric juice; in other words, being an alkali, it comple- 
ments the action of the salivary secretion, favoring osmosis 



1 The " oxgall combination," referred to in this work, Gall-Ipecac 
Comp. (Hepatin), has the following formula: 

Oxgall gr. 1; 



Strychnine arsenite gr. j^o, 

Nuclein, solution gtt. iv. 

Dose, one or two tablets before meals. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 181 

(endosmosis) . Salivary secretion being alkaline, the food 
swallowed is also of the same reaction, and with the addi- 
tion of the medication, the flow of acid gastric juice is aug- 
mented, and thus the medicament becomes for all practical 
purposes an "activator." 

In many of these instances, there is a demand for intes- 
tinal antiseptics, due to the imperfect digestion of nitrog- 
enous foods with delayed intestinal digestion, which permits 
or favors fermentation, when copper arsenite is almost a 
specific. Besides, it is not rare to find such an abundant 
intestinal flora that we must adopt symbiosis, that is, we 
employ the bacillus Bulgaricus internally to diminish or 
arrest the multiplication of bacteria in the intestinal tract. 

So far as I have been able to learn from referring to 
modern text-books and scanning current literature, no 
attention has been given to the demands for the purpose of 
neutralizing excessive acidity. Twenty-five years ago, we 
were taught that it was impossible to treat even mild cases 
of fever without the employment of the "neutral mixture" — 
solution potassium citrate — either alone or as a vehicle in 
making up the prescription for a refrigerant diaphoretic. 
At the same time, in the case of pneumonia, typhoid fever, 
erysipelas, scarlet fever and other serious diseases, it was 
almost invariably the custom to employ spirit of mindererus 
(solution ammonium acetate), also for its diaphoretic value 
and as a febrifuge. However, with the introduction of tablet 
triturates and alkaloids, these teachings have been over- 
looked or forgotten, so that we rarely find these prepara- 
tions mentioned in clinical reports, and what is more, where 
papers arouse discussion in societies, physicians regarded 
as prominent, are even willing to admit that they have 
never employed them at all. So it happens that in the 
evolution of modern practice, these old remedies have been 
discarded, and unfortunately, the scientific basis for their 
early use has been entirely obliterated from our literature. 

Early experience in medical practice convinced me of their 
sterling value, but it was many years before I could thor- 
oughly master the scientific basis for their employment. 



182 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Finally, however, the alkaline basis of treatment combined 
with the remarkably beneficial results prompted a critical 
study of the whole question, and as a consequence, the 
alkaline-saline 1 was developed as a cell-depurant and elimi- 
nant. 

(2) To neutralize acid excess involves a chemic as well as 
a physiologic action — the saline to flush the inter-cellular 
spaces, and an alkali to restore as rapidly as possible the 
alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues, thus favoring 
oxidation and the elimination of the waste material through 
the normal channels. Lithia, one of the ingredients, is an 
alkali which increases the stability of protoplasm. When 
given in concentrated solution, this alkaline-saline enacts 
the role of a liver stimulant, an indirect cholagogue, supple- 
menting physiologic medication. Administered in diluted 
form, say a teaspoonful in about six to eight ounces of water 
at room temperature at intervals of two hours, its effect 
upon the kidneys is pronounced, the urinary flow being 
more than doubled during the next twenty-four hours. 

Besides the objective and subjective effects of alkaline- 
saline medication, we may note numerous vital phenomena, 
showing how it augments intra-cellular activity. For 
example, we can readily understand how it will prove 
beneficial in the case of muscular fatigue due to the accumu- 
lation of waste products in the muscles, sarcolactic acid, 
carbon dioxide, etc., first felt in the central nervous system, 
next in the motor end-plates, then in the muscles themselves, 
and finally in the nerve trunk. The relevancy of this 

1 The alkaline-saline is a therapeutically balanced salt in the form of a 
white, granular, effervescent powder, deliquescent when exposed to 
the air, and is completely soluble in moderately cool water, with brisk 
effervescence. It is composed of sodium phosphate and sulphate, 
equal parts, each heaping teaspoonful carrying about four grains of 
lithia. Given concentrated, it acts as a liver stimulant and laxative; 
when well diluted, it increases the urinary water as well as the urinary 
solids, and being distributed throughout the body tissues, it flushes 
the inter-cellular spaces and makes the cells work. 

The lithia salt may be selected with special reference to the disorder, 
the salicylate for rheumatic conditions, the carbonate for uric acid 
diathesis, the bromide for the psycho-neuroses and the citrate for 
renal insufficiency. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 183 

observation will be apparent when we consider the claims 
of Dubois that all nervous disorders are of mental origin — 
evidently, he has slipped his trolley. In subacute and 
chronic rheumatism, uric acid diathesis, chlorosis and 
diabetes, and generally in the case of suboxidation, the 
utility of this combination must be admitted on theoretic 
grounds in both acute and chronic disorders. 

(3) To Promote Magnesium Dissociation. — It should be 
borne in mind that this chemic deviation occurs under three 
different forms, although they are not always distinct, as 
one may lap over on the other. Thus, in the case of children 
suffering from debility and depression incident to an attack 
of summer complaint (dysentery and diarrhea), the original 
malady is due to replacement of calcium salts. This, of 
course, gives rise to more or less inflammation and obstruc- 
tion to the circulation. Later, this irritation may lead to 
chemic transformation, magnesium oxide combining chem- 
ically with the colloid of the nerve structure, when we have 
to deal with an entirely new condition. In the case of 
advanced age, when the lime is depleted from the bones, 
it finds lodgment in the soft tissues, arteries, muscles, 
kidneys, liver, and also in the ductless glands, so that under 
these circumstances we have still another type of magnesium 
infiltration — united with calcium. 

For all practical purposes, we may omit any discussion 
of replacement in connection with our study of the magnesia 
heart. The principal difficulty is undoubtedly due to the 
diminished alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues, 
which promotes or favors the formation of magnesium oxide, 
and this in turn, combines chemically with the colloids of 
the nerve structure, which impede, hinder, or destroy their 
capacity for the uninterrupted transmission of impulses. 

In the early history of my investigations, iodo-calcium 
was employed in small doses under the impression that this 
mechanical mixture of iodine and lime would perform the 
two-fold function — that the iodine content would act as 
an alterative, or resolvent upon the inert organic material 
making up the chemic combination, while the calcium 



184 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

content was intended to supply the demand for calcium 
to take the place of magnesium in the tissues consecutive 
to the chemic change produced. Later, I have employed 
calcium iodide (the chemic product), in the form of a tritura- 
tion or tablet triturate for a like purpose, although except 
in advanced age, it is rarely given alone, owing to the 
nervous excitability which is likely to follow. The general 
plan, therefore, is to administer calcium iodide along with 
calcium carbonate or calcium sulphate in the form of tritur- 
ations, either as a powder or tablet triturate. 

The advantage of this plan is due to convenience in handling 
the different preparations, adjusting the dose and frequency 
of administration to the patients' physical condition, while 
at the same time, we must consider the chemic demands 
of the system. For instance, under ordinary conditions, it 
would be sufficient to give the remedies conjointly, three 
times a day, say five or ten minutes before meals. The 
triturations being readily soluble, they are immediately 
absorbed, and do not undergo change from the presence of 
starch or other substances which would render them inert. 
Instead of giving a large dose, however, it seems preferable 
to give the remedies more frequently in urgent cases, and 
when deemed necessary or advisable, the medicine can be 
given before breakfast, twice during the forenoon, twice 
during the afternoon, and then again once or twice before 
bed-hour. In this way, we not only avoid iodism, but 
the presence of both together seems not only to prevent 
intestinal irritation, but also we avoid any nervous irrita- 
bility. The usual dose employed is a half grain of calcium 
iodide together with one grain of calcium carbonate or 
calcium sulphate, and for convenience, I employ tablet 
triturates containing J and J grain respectively. Of course, 
in this class of cases, where the irritation has long continued, 
there is a possibility that new tissue has formed, fibrous 
tissue, entirely different from the original, in which case, 
it is impossible to employ remedies which will cause its 
absorption, thus restoring normal conditions, and recourse 
must be had to surgery for its removal. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 185 

In the case of deposits composed partly or largely of lime, 
which we find in advanced age, or as a result of persistent 
neuritis, neuralgia, or from an injury, it may be necessary 
to employ a remedy for the purpose of dissolving the calcium 
content, and this we find in aromatic sulphuric acid, which 
converts the lime salts into the inert calcium sulphate. 
Therefore, in such instances, we must maintain as far as 
possible the normal alkalescence of the body fluids in 
alternation with the acid treatment, since it would be 
impossible to employ the two together. For example, we 
can give from ten to fifteen drops of aromatic sulphuric 
acid in a wine-glass of water an hour after meals, continuing 
the treatment for a week or ten days, after which should be 
substituted the iodo-calcium or calcium iodide, although I 
think the latter is preferable because it carries less calcium. 
The iodine acts as an alterative, a solvent of the organic 
material which forms the obstruction to the uninterrupted 
transmission of nerve impulses, and to accomplish satis- 
factory results this treatment should be continued upon an 
alkaline-saline basis, preferably alkaline-saline medication. 

(4) As shown in the preceding diagram, symptomatic and 
collateral treatment must be conducted for different purposes. 
When it has been determined by studying the character of 
the pulse and testing the blood pressure that we have to 
deal with vasomotor disturbances, we have evidence that the 
vasomotor nerves which control the caliber of the blood 
vessels are at fault, and the difficulty may manifest itself 
in different ways. Should the symptoms point to increased 
arterial tension with vertigo, or deviations in the blood 
pressure of the extremities, it will be advisable to combine 
the calcium iodide with chloride of gold and sodium. Per- 
haps static electricity in the form of the static breeze will 
prove effective in relieving the cerebral symptoms. When, 
however, there is evidence of involvement of the ductless 
glands, it may be necessary to employ thyroid treatment 
or adrenal extract, although the latter is rarely demanded 
except temporarily, for the reason that in nearly all such 
cases we have to deal with increased arterial tension. 



186 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Lymph-stasis is a morbid condition which has hitherto 
received but slight attention at the hands of the profession, 
but it is none the less important. Indeed, it is of paramount 
importance to correct this deviation in the circulation, as 
otherwise we have defective leucocytosis. In such instances, 
we may combine the internal administration of calcium 
sulphide with suitable local treatment, preferably Nauheim 
baths or osteo-therapy, but neither of these latter measures 
will fulfil our anticipations without attention to the physio- 
logic equilibrium; in other words, to be successful, local 
treatment must be complemented by means of the normal 
alkalescence of the body fluids, and that we can secure by 
alkaline-saline medication. 

Hepatic insufficiency is a well worn and antiquated term, 
which means but little unless properly understood. Accord- 
ing to my conception, it applies to a condition of the liver 
which is just short of normal. To illustrate, we will assume 
that the liver action is torpid, that there is more or less 
pelvic congestion, owing to obstruction in the portal circu- 
lation, that the flow of blood from the stomach is hindered 
by this torpid condition, and thus we have to contend with 
more or less distension or even dilatation, which, of course, 
means delayed stomach digestion. In addition to this, we 
shall have symptoms of vertigo, which may be due to the 
condition of the stomach, or to the presence of bile in the 
circulation. All these various symptoms, however, do not 
cover what should be understood by hepatic insufficiency — 
which means that the liver cells secrete bile and other waste 
products of the blood as it passes through this organ, but 
that the bile is not properly discharged. It accumulates 
in the bile ducts as well as in the gall-bladder, and thus we 
have a faint conception of the insufficiency which produces, 
or is accountable for, this torpid condition of the organ. 

The succinate of soda and the gall-ipecac comp. will be 
found advantageous in these conditions, but in cases of 
long standing the effect is but temporary, and the patient 
relapses into his former condition — the skin is sallow, the 
tongue is coated, there is no appetite for breakfast and when 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 187 

the sufferer is engaged in sedentary work, the complaint of 
mental hebetude is almost universal. Under these circum- 
stances, we may produce marked improvement by the 
administration of podophyllin and mercury biniodide, 
small doses given together every hour or two hours for five 
doses. 

The effect of this treatment is well illustrated by the experi- 
ence of a former patient who was operated upon for inguinal 
hernia. The operation was done Friday noon, and early on 
Sunday afternoon he began to complain of abdominal disten- 
sion with great pain. The surgical treatment was carried out 
by the hospital attendants and consisted in the employment of 
enemata, with Epsom salts and calomel internally, and this 
treatment was continued diligently until late on Monday 
afternoon without apparent benefit or any prospect of relief, 
although the bowels had been moved twenty times. At this 
time, the patient being exhausted, rebelled against further 
treatment. 

Being at the head of an important manufacturing corpora- 
tion, he had taken the precaution of securing a private room, 
together with a telephone, and on Tuesday morning he began 
to hunt me on the telephone, but not until eleven o'clock did 
he succeed in finding me, nearly two hundred miles distant. 
He briefly reported the circumstances, and begged me to advise 
treatment, as he was convinced that he could not again submit 
to the original plans which had been carried out Sunday after- 
noon and the following Monday. Fortunately, he had a pocket- 
case under his pillow, and I advised him to take podophyllin 
(iV grain), and mercury biniodide (^V grain), together every 
two hours for five doses and he immediately began treatment. 
As a result, the distension and pain began to subside percep- 
tibly after the first dose, and along about five o'clock he felt 
quite comfortable. At his suggestion the nurse employed an 
enema, but it was scarcely necessary, the bowels being promptly 
moved, quite freely in fact, and to all appearance, normal in 
character, and this ended all his troubles from abdominal 
distension. 



188 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Bassini's operation had been done, involving an incision 
at least six inches in length, but with the employment of 
calcium sulphide to maintain as far as possible a healthy 
condition of the lymphatics, improvement was rapid and 
he was able to leave the hsopital on the tenth day following 
the operation, requiring no further surgical assistance, or 
medical treatment. 

The subject of constipation will receive but brief con- 
sideration, not because of its lack of importance, rather for 
the reason that tradition has led to a misconception of its 
value as well as a factor in treatment which is utterly mis- 
understood. Without any special attempt at elucidation, 
the reader can easily understand how constipation may 
arise from vasomotor disturbances which affect the blood 
vessels of the abdominal cavity, because it might interfere 
with innervation and thus arrest or hinder the normal 
secretions. Necessarily, also, lymph-stasis, or the stagnant 
condition of the lymph vessels and glands, produces similar 
effects, interfering at the same time with the leucocytic 
function. Hepatic insufficiency is also an important factor 
in producing constipation. For example, we know that the 
absence of bile in the intestinal tract deranges digestion, 
the fats are not emulsified and decomposition follows, 
leading perhaps to impaction of the bowel, or even obstruc- 
tion, when a surgical operation is demanded. 

In the case of magnesia heart, as has been pointed out, 
the disorder is not confined to the heart alone. Hence, we 
find that constipation may be due to defective innervation. 
This is notably the case in anemia and chlorosis, and in 
such cases we may frequently overcome this by the adminis- 
tration of calcium carbonate or sulphate. In some instances, 
there is not only impairment of innervation, but there is 
more or less paralysis of the muscular coat of the intestine, 
together with well marked evidences of pelvic congestion, 
shown by the persistence or recurrence of hemorrhoids 
(piles). 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 189 

This condition is well illustrated in the case of a patient, a 
single lady, 55 years of age, who had previously consulted me 
for the treatment of boils. It seems that for several years 
she had suffered excruciating pain and annoyance from piles, 
together with attacks of prolapsus of the bowel, but having a 
great horror of "cutting," she had said nothing to anyone. 
She said, "I have never been very strong, but have been able 
to do pretty good work, and am very necessary to my father 
and to my home. I hope you may be able to give me something 
to relieve the trouble." 

The above report, while brief, is a fairly complete expo- 
sition of the malady. An analysis of the conditions responsi- 
ble must prove interesting. In the first place, as previously 
intimated, we have to deal with pelvic congestion. In 
addition to this, the condition of the liver undoubtedly 
interferes with the portal circulation, but above and beyond 
these two deviations, we must assume the initial or primary 
cause in the disordered digestion which has developed 
the morbid complexus, and that I conceive to be acid 
excess. 

The prescription, then, should aim to overcome the 
relaxed condition of the muscular tone of the lower bowel 
and correct the passive congestion; it should also aim to 
stimulate the liver function, that is, to relieve hepatic 
insufficiency (stimulate the flow of bile); and finally, we 
must neutralize acid excess, so that directions are as 
follows : 

Take one Apia 1 tablet and one Hepatin tablet before 
meals, the effervescent powder (alkaline-saline), one tea- 
spoonful in about a half goblet of moderately cool water, 
middle of the forenoon, middle of the afternoon, and again 
at bed-hour. 



1 Aloes gr. 5 V; 

Podophyllm gr. ^; 

Ipecac gr. A; 

Atropine sulphate gr. 23W 



190 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Three weeks later the patient sent the following report : 

" I am very much better. My bowels are so much more com- 
fortable, and I sleep so much better — it is just fine not to lie 
awake, and feel the nervous twitching, with gas in the bowels." 

In regard to Epsom salts for constipation, it seems scarcely 
worth while to make an effort to counteract or arrest this 
tendency or disposition on the part of either the medical 
profession or the laity, although it can be said without fear 
of successful contradiction that this treatment is absolutely 
wrong, notwithstanding tradition, and also universal use. 
Not only in the case of magnesia heart, but in every possible 
disorder when the constipation is the collateral factor or 
complication, the administration of Epsom salts (magnesium 
sulphate), invariably augments the formidable character 
of the nervous element, and it is not too much to say that 
in many cases of illness, both acute and chronic, the con- 
tinued employment of Epsom salts leads to the necessity for 
anodynes, opium and its derivatives, so that we must hold 
the profession responsible for the vast number of habitues 
who have become victims indirectly from the employment 
of this preparation. 

Instead of discussing the dietary suitable for patients 
suffering from magnesia heart, it will be sufficient to refer 
the reader to the section entitled, "The Food Problem," in 
which we have the evidence complete regarding the dis- 
advantages of a dietary containing magnesia in excess. 

Typical Illustrations. — The following clinical reports were 
made up in the latter part of 1908 and published in 1909, 1 
and are so complete as typical illustrations that it does not 
seem necessary to add any more recent cases — since they 
would but duplicate treatment, except as to symptomatic 
and collateral medication. 

Mrs. E., a lady aged 65 years, is very well preserved, but 
for two or three years past has noticed a lack of interest in 
every-day affairs and is unable to carry on a conversation 

1 Wisconsin Medical Recorder. 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 191 

consecutively. It annoys her very much, while talking to a 
friend, to break in with something entirely foreign to the sub- 
ject under consideration, and she fully realizes this mental 
deficiency. The numbness of the fingers is such that she 
cannot fasten her clothing, and being unable to raise her arms, 
she must have a maid to dress her hair. She sleeps very 
well, and has a good appetite, but is somewhat uncertain in 
her gait and has to be assisted when going up and down stairs. 
In the course of two weeks, all these unfavorable symptoms 
had disappeared under the administration of small doses of 
iodo-calcium. 

Mrs. G. is 67 years of age, and for the past eight or ten years 
has suffered considerably from cardiac embarrassment. She 
is unable to walk up one flight of stairs without resting, and 
the doctors have told her she must not go out at night, because 
of the objections to the night air. The appetite is good, too 
good, she says, bowels are regular, she sleeps well and is very 
much chagrined that she should be compelled to remain in-doors 
so much of the time. 

In this instance, an examination of the pulse shows more or 
less distinct evidences of arterio-sclerosis, but the most con- 
spicuous feature is the characteristic magnesia heart involving 
the valves — there is perceptible lack of valvular coordination 
and the second sound is accentuated. 

Preliminary treatment consisted in the employment of 
iodo-calcium in small doses, given between meals, the oxgall 
combination being taken before meals to correct the hepatic 
insufficiency, indicated by the appearance of the tongue, which 
was slightly coated and round instead of flat. In the course 
of a few weeks, all the formidable symptoms had subsided. 

Aphasia is also intimately associated with magnesium infil- 
tration — at least it responds promptly to the dissociation 
treatment which I have outlined. 

Mr. G., aged 41, consulted me about a year and a half ago, 
stating that he had been under treatment for five years pre- 
ceding, because of his inability to remember names of persons 



192 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

and things — sensory aphasia. In addition, during the preceding 
two years, he had suffered more or less from inability to use 
his left leg. If he wished to put that over the right he would 
be compelled to assist with his hands, and when walking on the 
street it would "drag" and seriously impede his movements. 

Examination of the urine disclosed the following: Specific 
gravity 1.013, reaction, alkaline, albumin, a trace, and also uric 
acid. It should be stated here that this man has been employed 
for many years at in-door work, where he sits at a table, and 
is compelled to use his arms and hands only, but I doubt if 
this had anything to do with the magnesium infiltration, which 
affected Broca's convolution — on the left side, as the patient 
is right-handed — because the motor centre for the left leg and 
foot is on the right side, and higher up than Broca's convolu- 
tion. Therefore, this involvement was more or less general as 
regards the circulatory system, the aphasia and hemi-para- 
plegia being local manifestations of the degenerative changes 
which had developed incident to the progressive character of 
the disorder. 

Treatment consisted in the administration of the oxgall 
combination before meals and small doses of iodo-calcium 
midway between meals, and ten days later, when the patient 
next presented himself, he reported that the aphasia had dis- 
appeared within four or five days, and that for the preceding 
two days the left leg had been quite as supple, strong, and 
freely movable as the right. 

It would be interesting here to consider the progressive 
character of the disorder, showing how it differs from cal- 
cification and may be found in comparatively youthful 
patients. I recall one patient (male), 32 years of age, who 
was frequently compelled to stand still for three to five 
minutes because of inability to use the left leg, and there 
were no neurasthenic conditions present, the only trouble 
being intestinal indigestion, due to unsuitable diet and 
excessive water drinking. 

The following case will assist materially in developing 
the most prominent symptoms: 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 193 

G. C, a light-weight, under-sized man, 25 years of age, for 
the past five years has been dieting for the purpose of develop- 
ing muscular strength — roast-beef, beef-steak and plenty of 
tea — and at the time of the first consultation he reported that 
he was unable to eat scarcely anything, that he had limited 
himself practically to tea and toast. He was very "nervous," 
suffered from persistent insomnia and there was a history of 
obstinate constipation. An examination of the heart dis- 
covered rapid action, pulse being 96 per minute, second sound 
accentuated, but the most noticeable feature was the metallic 
sound, or "boom" which accompanied the systole. 

Regulated diet, together with small doses of iodo-calcium 
taken between meals, caused all these symptoms to disappear 
within a week. The cardiac boom subsided, exaggerated knee- 
jerk became normal, patient regained a good appetite, said 
the food tasted right; he slept well and bowel movements were 
again regular. 

Mr. M. was 66 years of age three years ago when he con- 
sulted me for nervousness and palpitation. He had been through 
the civil war, but was in a fairly good state of preservation, 
except that he was over-weight. His business is not arduous, 
there is no strenuous exertion required, and he is out-doors a 
great deal of the time, but he finds it almost impossible to 
climb a hill or walk up a moderate incline on a smooth pavement, 
and if he attempts to lift a weight above the waist-line, he falls 
to the ground, owing to cardiac embarrassment. 

For the past ten or twelve years this patient has frequently 
been laid up in bed for weeks at a time, and all kinds of treat- 
ment resorted to for the purpose of keeping him alive. Physi- 
cal examination shows a rapid, small pulse, almost receding in 
character, with a characteristic systolic "boom" along with 
valvular incoordination. The patient says this metallic sound 
often keeps him awake at night for hours, and as further showing 
the cardiac embarrassment, the fingers and toes are usually 
cold, sometimes numb; occasionally, they feel hot and dry, at 
which time the patient experiences febrile sensations. Reorgan- 
ization of the dietary with iodo-calcium in small doses internally, 
and along with this the alkaline-saline medication, caused all 
13 



194 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

the forbidding symptoms to subside, and he could walk with 
comparative comfort and freedom an incline not to exceed 
twenty-five degrees. 

A merchant, 45 years of age, has complained of nervousness 
for several years past, and notwithstanding the solicitations of 
at least half a dozen well known consultants, he has secured 
no permanent benefit from medical treatment. He says 
medical treatment during the past seven years has cost him 
850,000, the doctors having compelled him to relinquish cer- 
tain commercial engagements which would have profited him 
that much in this length of time. He has the usual symptoms 
of magnesia heart, but in addition, there is a peculiarity 
which annoys him beyond measure — if he shakes his head the 
least bit, it feels as though there is something loose, and of 
course, he feels very much frightened, because he realizes the 
dangers from such an abnormal condition. 

Substantially the same treatment was advised here as in 
the last case, and the patient was very much surprised after 
the second day the treatment was begim to find that the 
nervousness had subsided, and that the "lump" in his 
brain had become firmly anchored. 

Ossification. — During the past two years I have collected 
quite a number of sudden deaths due to ossification, the 
unusual presence of bone-formation in the heart itself. 
These I have classed as extraordinary cases of magnesium 
infiltration, showing beyond question the ultimate tendency 
of this particular diathesis, but only a few will be placed 
on record here. 

The report comes from a Berlin hospital where a domestic 
servant, a woman, was admitted with symptoms that defied 
diagnosis. Later, she was found dead in bed, when a post- 
mortem examination disclosed the mystery. A malignant 
tumor — a sarcoma — had spread itself over the entire vault of 
the cranium, and the heart, liver and lungs were partially 
petrified by a thick, calcareous deposit. . . . The heart 
had been literally choked until it could no longer perform its 
functions. 



TEE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 195 

Another case of "marble-heart" is reported from the City 
Hospital, Cincinnati. An autopsy revealed that the man's 
heart was reduced to one-half its normal size, and as hard as a 
block of granite. . . . The pressure of the stony mass had 
reduced the right lung to almost nothing and worn the spinal 
cord to such an extent that it was ready to snap. A deposit of 
lime salts, following an abscess, is believed to have been 
responsible for the petrification. 

Another case was reported from Indianapolis, a saloon-porter 
who died in jail. He was the victim of a "rare affliction," in that 
a bone had formed over the top of his heart. 

From the Charity Hospital, New Orleans, comes the report 
of an interesting case of gradual petrification, really a case of 
scleroderma, the body slowly hardening for a year, until the 
flesh became as adamant and proof against incisions. The 
patient was a woman, 46 years of age, and physicians were 
unable to diagnosticate the malady during life. 

A case similar to the above occurred in the Cozer Hospital, 
located near Philadelphia. In this instance, an accident pre- 
ceded the development of the diathesis, the man, 48 years of 
age, having been thrown from a trolley car. He first began to 
lose the power of locomotion, and later ossification gradually 
set in, the trouble extending over the whole body by degrees, 
except the flesh of the head, which was normal. He could 
eat without much difficulty, and also smoke, but death came 
suddenly while taking nourishment, and he died within a few 
minutes. 

A report from San Francisco described an "osseous growth 
in the pericardial region unknown to surgery." The man 
was accidentally killed and the bony growth was found in the 
pericardium. 

The latter case was so interesting that I deemed it worth 
while to make a personal investigation, directing an inquiry 
to Dr. J. H. Kuser, of San Rafael, Cal., health officer of 
Marin county, and here follows his report: 

"On examining the heart I found a very interesting con- 
dition. The pericardium was closely and completely adherent 



196 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

to the heart itself, the pericardial sac being consequently com- 
pletely obliterated. I could, however, with the handle of the 
scalpel, separate the pericardium from the heart, and upon 
doing so, I found several patches of what I thought to be cal- 
careous deposits about the size of a dollar, and rather sharply 
defined. 

" From a subsequent history of the case as far as obtainable — 
the man had no relatives — I found him to be English by birth, 
about 55 years of age, and of good habits. I could not obtain 
any history in regard to previous diseases. He seemed to have 
enjoyed good health up to the time of his death. 

"It may be further stated that the aorta also contained 
similar deposits. The man probably had been a sufferer from 
gout or rheumatism at some period during his life. . . . 
There must have been a pericarditis at one time, followed by 
absorption of the exudate with subsequent formation of 
adhesions." 

Statistics. — According to reports from various authorita- 
tive sources, the fatalities from heart disease are increasing 
at an alarming rate. With pneumonia first, tuberculosis 
second, heart disease is third on the mortuary list — while 
the reasons and excuses offered and suggested for this sad 
state of affairs are of the most flimsy and superficial char- 
acter. Thus, Dr. Darlington, while Commissioner (New 
York Health Department), in commenting upon the rapid 
increase of such cases — 123 in a week as compared with 58 
for the corresponding week of the previous year — advances 
the following argument, for which there is no substantial 
basis : 

"Heart disease has been on the increase for the past ten 
years. The hurry and rush and stress of business, the noise 
and excitement and clamor of metropolitan life, the late suppers, 
the elaborate food, the stimulating drinks, the constant, restless 
quest of excitement, money and pleasure, all create a strain on 
the heart which breaks down the tissues and creates various 
forms of heart disease." 



THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN HEART FAILURE 197 

If we may assign as causes for heart disease "the hurry 
and rush and stress of business/' and "noise and excitement 
and clamor," why do not the children first succumb? If 
this were true, every foot-ball match would prove a veritable 
golgotha. The fact is that these sudden deaths are due 
to chemic deviation, as pointed out in these pages; the 
final collapse being due to a "short-circuit" of the nerve 
supply. Take an experienced locomotive engineer and start 
him on a hundred-mile run with a first-class engine and an 
alkali water, and the boiler will explode long before he 
reaches his destination — because the water in the gauge 
deceives him, owing to the chemic deviation in the water 
supply. And so it is in heart disease, the chemic deviation 
being found in the body fluids. Substantially the same 
principles apply in practically all constitutional maladies — 
the chemic deviation is the complication. 



THE COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL 
MALADIES. 

Principles op Medical Treatment. 

Diabetes Mellitus — Acidosis — Acid Excess — Indicanuria — Esti- 
mated Amount of Mineral Acids (Tabulation) — Diabetic Coma — 
Symptoms of Suboxidation — Anomalies of Function. 

Rheumatism— The Chemic Deviation — Illustrative Cases— Lumbago 
— Sciatica. 

Gout and Lithemia — Arthritis Deformans. 

Diseases op Bone — Significance of Bone Disease — Growth and 
Development — The Binet Test — Mental Deficiency and Precocity 
(Tabulation) — Consecutive Ailments. 

Having now sketched the relation of certain disorders of 
nutrition to magnesium infiltration, we might proceed at 
once to a study of nervous diseases were it not for the 
skepticism likely to be manifested by the superficial reader, 
who will freely criticise, because nothing definite and spe- 
cific is said of this as a factor in constitutional maladies. 
Hence, it has been deemed wise and expedient to add a 
chapter for the special purpose of showing that magnesium 
infiltration is the complication in constitutional ailments. 
For example, when a patient has pneumonia, and pleurisy 
supervenes, the latter becomes a complication — and may 
prove the essential factor in leading to a fatal termination. 
In like manner, the glands of the neck may be infected 
during the course of diphtheria, and suppurate, a serious 
complication. An attack of influenza may give rise to 
neuritis, a complication far more difficult to treat success- 
fully than the original malady. Following a surgical opera- 
tion, erysipelas or sepsis develops, complications much 
more formidable than the operation itself, because they 
disorganize the harmonious physiologic and chemic relations 
and thus reduce the patient's vitality. 

So, it is in respect to magnesium infiltration — invariably 
the complication in all constitutional maladies, and in most 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 199 

instances, responsible for their appearance. That is to say, 
constitutional maladies develop consecutive to magnesium 
infiltration, whereas they do not arise in its absence, and 
besides, correction of the chemic deviation coupled with 
medical treatment to remove the cause, will mitigate their 
severity and also prevent their recurrence. 

While these deductions are in accord with sound prin- 
ciples of logic, that the effect follows the cause, the apparent 
inconsistency in claiming that the "complication" is also 
the "cause" will but serve to strengthen our position — just 
as exceptions strengthen rules. As a rule, however, in 
medical practice, all physicians treat the disease without 
regard to the morbid complexus responsible for its appear- 
ance; hence, the lack of uniformity, not to mention the 
unfortunate mortuary statistics. 

PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL TREATMENT. 

Let us consider briefly the principles which should govern 
medical treatment — not only in the case of constitutional 
maladies, but in all diseases, acute and chronic, functional 
and organic, including also in this category the effects or 
sequelae of septic infection (bacterial invasion). To persons 
with the artistic sense, the symmetry and strength of Doric 
architecture compares favorably with the beauty and grace 
of the Corinthian style, while the Composite, which unites 
the attractive features of both the Corinthian and Ionic, 
also has its exponents and enthusiastic admirers — but all 
the beauty and symmetry and grace and strength in every 
architectural display are dependent upon the application 
of a simple mechanical principle, the keystone of the arch. 
A cursory glance at the statistics of modern commerce, 
colossal in magnitude as to money and bulk, and we are 
amazed at the wonderful achievements in transportation, 
through the application of another simple, mechanical 
principle, the flange on the wheel. And a critical study of 
the elements or factors which make for health and longevity 
shows that alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues is 



200 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

the pivot or turning point upon which hinges all others. 
What the keystone of the arch is to architecture, alkalescence 
is to the human organism, giving it beauty and symmetry, 
and grace and strength. As in modern commerce, alkales- 
cence is the flange on the wheel, enabling us to maintain 
health and promote longevity. 

Having now solved the riddle of medical treatment, it will 
be in order to discuss some of the difficulties encountered in 
correcting or removing this ever-present complication — and 
the difficulties are real, if we aim to correct the chemic 
deviation and break up the "habit" of the system which 
has led to its production. 

From the above remarks, the reader will readily compre- 
hend the simplicity of the situation — that magnesium infil- 
tration is one of the incidental effects arising from disorders 
of assimilation, primary and secondary, due to an excessive 
acidity (or diminished alkalinity); hence, the chemic devia- 
tion becomes part and parcel of all constitutional ailments. 
It is referred to here as the "complication" for the reason 
that it has hitherto escaped notice, notwithstanding the 
teachings of physiologists for generations that alkalescence 
was the normal status of the body fluids and tissues. 

DIABETES MELLITUS. 

In view of the serious character of diabetes mellitus we 
may assume that this constitutional malady presents or 
develops some of the difficulties encountered in relieving 
the "complication," or mitigating its severity; hence, a 
comprehensive survey of the clinical and scientific facts 
relating to its presence and persistence, while confirming 
the claims advanced, may also relieve me from the onerous 
charge of medical transcendentalism. The truth in regard 
to these teachings is that they are inductional, the general 
principle having been demonstrated from a number of 
collated instances through an attribute or peculiarity 
common to all, that is, reasoning from the particular to the 
general. Of course, by deduction, reasoning from the 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 201 

general to the particular, and arriving at the same con- 
clusion, but confirms the induction — on the same basis that 
synthesis and analysis complement each other. Thus, by 
a single blow we strike out two bogies, transcendentalism 
and empiricism, neither of which should be allowed to 
complicate or interfere with modern science. 

Acidosis is the term now employed to cover a patho- 
logic condition arising from a disassimilation of the fatty 
acids — butyric or acetic acid — in the absence of carbo- 
hydrates, with the coincident appearance of acetone in the 
urine (acetonuria). The "acetone-bodies" appearing in 
the blood comprise a series, oxybutyric acid being the first 
member, from which both diacetic acid and acetone are 
derived, and either one, or more than one, may appear 
independently. The seriousness of diabetes is recognized 
by the daily amount excreted, but acetone occurs also in 
other diseases, though not to the same extent, and even 
appears in the urine during health. Children and young 
people are more liable to acetonuria during an attack of 
illness than adults who have previously enjoyed good health. 

A radical change from a mixed diet to one composed 
exclusively of nitrogenous food will promptly cause ace- 
tonuria, although the condition gradually subsides without 
untoward consequences. Strange as it may appear, the 
Esquimaux do not have acetonuria, although living almost 
entirely upon animal food, a fact which leads to the deduction 
that this is a disease of modern civilization. 

Whether the toxic action of acetone-bodies arises from a 
failure in the intra-cellular activity incident to diminished 
alkalinity of the blood, or from deficient oxygenation, we 
can trace the recuperative efforts of nature in supplying an 
alkali — ammonia — to neutralize the acid, but in this we 
recognize the absence of at least one important factor, a 
saline, whose special function is to maintain the bactericidal 
properties of the blood — John Hunter's "living principle." 

Acid excess is employed here to cover a common condition 
in nearly all disorders, and may be determined by the use of 
litmus paper. Generally speaking, all disease is attended 



202 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

with increased acidity of the urine, shown by the increased 
out-put of ammonia, but the cutaneous excretion is also 
acid, thus lessening the work of the kidneys. Night-sweats 
are said to be depressing to the patient, when as a matter 
of fact, they are distinctly beneficial, as they remove acid, 
allowing the blood to regain at least a portion of its alkalinity, 
and further, the sweating favors intestinal digestion, which 
requires an alkali or neutral media for its completion. It is 
not always practical, however, to test the bowel contents 
by an examination of the stools, because the acid mucus 
of the large intestine might lead to error, but we can form 
a reliable diagnosis by dipping a strip of litmus paper in 
water, and testing the skin, by having the patient take the 
moistened paper between the thumb and finger. Next, we 
compare this with the reaction of the salivary secretion, 
which should be neutral or alkaline. 

The normal reaction of the skin is acid, and gives the 
blue litmus paper a slight redness, so that a bright pink 
discoloration indicates excess. Similarly, the salivary 
reaction is determined, acidity showing an over-flow and 
indicating that the intestinal digestion is correspondingly 
embarrassed. 

While it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss the 
development of acid excess, it may be remarked that various 
acids occur even during health, phosphoric, hydrochloric, 
lactic, sulphuric, etc. Indeed, sulphuric acid and carbon 
dioxide perform important functions in the economy, the 
former acting upon the calcium salts to prevent premature 
crystallization as age advances, while the latter adapts 
them to the various reconstructive processes as demanded 
from day to day. Still, both are toxic. In the absence of 
sufficient alkali, sulphuric acid accumulates in the organism 
and causes death (Bunge), and this brings forward another 
factor for consideration, indicanuria. 

Indicanuria is the name applied to a symptom of disordered 
metabolism, giving rise to the presence of indican in the 
urine. Usually, putrefactive decomposition of proteid 
substances takes place in the alimentary canal and is 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 203 

attended with the formation or development of toxic prod- 
ucts which find their way into the blood and lymph channels 
and lead to destruction of the hemoglobin along with serious 
disturbance of the liver function — possibly jaundice from 
occlusion of the bile-ducts. This condition may result from 
decomposition of indol and sulphuric acid alone, or a com- 
bination occurs which includes an atom of potassium, 
forming indoxyl-potassium sulphate, but urinalysis supplies 
no reliable criterion of its gravity, nor will laxatives and 
purgatives afford relief. 

Now, bearing in mind sulphuric acid as a factor in dimin- 
ishing the alkalinity of the blood and leading to the pro- 
duction of magnesium nucleo-proteids, and coupling this 
with its influence in the production of indicanuria together 
with the demand for alkalies in acidosis, the causative 
conditions may be arranged, as follows : 

(1) Acidity — from intestinal fermentation. 

(2) Indicanuria — from albuminoid decomposition. 

(3) Acetone-bodies — from disassimilation of fatty acids. 
While substantially the same in kind, only differing in 

degree, they are all amenable to the general plan of treat- 
ment here outlined in conformity with the three cardinal 
principles already laid down — rehabilitation of the diges- 
tive capacity, neutralization of acid excess together with 
chemic dissociation of the magnesium salts, the object 
of all medical treatment being to restore normal cellular 
activity. 

Defective assimilation being admitted, it is not difficult 
to determine the origin of excessive acidity — both mineral 
and organic acids being normal and essential constituents 
of the daily food. The accompanying estimate 1 gives the 
following amounts of mineral acids required per man per 
day, and to this tabulation I have added chlorin, a non- 
metallic element which performs an important function 
in the economy. 

1 Langworthy, Food Customs and Diet in American Homes, Wash- 
ington, D. C, 1911. 



204 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Estimated Amount of Mineral Acids 
(Required per man per day) 

Grains. Grams. 

Phosphoric acid (P 2 5 ) . . . 45 to 60.0 3 to 4.0 

Sulphuric acid (S0 3 ) . . . . 30 to 52.5 2 to 3.5 

Chlorin (CI) 90 to 120.0 6 to 8.0 

The above tabulation not only solves the mystery of 
excessive acidity as the dominating factor in disease, but 
it also throws a strong side-light upon the recent innovation, 
amounting to a craze, that of employing normal salt solution. 
While it is true that normal salt solution augments the 
bactericidal properties of the blood, its value is relative 
rather than absolute, because diminished alkalinity hinders 
oxygenation. Hence, the demand for complementary 
medication to neutralize acid excess — to restore the normal 
alkalinity of the blood and make the cells work. 

Before leaving this topic, a word should be added relative 
to bacterial invasion, as it occurs in infectious and contagious 
diseases. While certain questions remain unsettled as to the 
peculiar activities of different pathogenic microorganisms, 
some being harmless but producing an active toxin, others 
being intra-cellular and beyond the reach of the known 
antagonists, such as leucocytes, antitoxins, bactericides, 
bacteriolysins, agglutinins and opsonins, experimental inves- 
tigations have demonstrated that one of their chief functions 
is acid production — and further, that reproduction or 
multiplication is favored by an acid media. The deduction 
is warranted, therefore, that acid excess, or diminished 
alkalinity of the blood — and lymph — augments their 
activities, if it does not actually increase their virulence. 

In proof of this assumption, we have but to consider the 
unsatisfactory results often attending antitoxin medication. 
The effect should be immediate and marked, while, on the 
contrary, the illness continues, debility is pronounced, and 
convalescence prolonged, all because suitable precautions 
are overlooked in not restoring the normal alkalinity of the 
body fluids and tissues. Thus, we are forced to the con- 
clusion that in the treatment of disease, both infectious and 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 205 

non-infectious, the neutralization of acid excess is of para- 
mount importance — a fundamental principle which should 
be developed in the course of an examination. 

Diabetic Coma. — In this disease it has been shown that 
fatty acids are responsible for the poisons which give rise 
to diabetic coma, and the employment of nitrogenous food 
has its limitations for the same reason. Both oxybutyric 
and diacetic acids abstract alkalies, chiefly ammonia, from 
the tissues, and as a consequence, the normal alkalinity of 
the blood is diminished with the coincident development 
of magnesium nucleo-proteids — leading to uremia. The 
percentage of nitrogen in the form of ammonia in the urine 
is often six times the normal amount, while that going to 
form urea is 25 per cent. less. 

Symptoms of Suboxidation. — Associated with, or arising 
from, this condition, we meet with the usual symptoms 
of suboxidation, boils, abscesses, carbuncle, constipation, 
"nervousness," and insomnia. While codeine and sodium 
bicarbonate serve to allay the more pronounced manifes- 
tations, they are not curative, because they do not modify 
nor hinder the progressive features of the malady, and 
besides, codeine given in increasing doses develops a habit, 
adding a factitious disease to that already established. 

A tumor involving the integrity of the floor of the fourth 
ventricle demands surgical interference, and instances occur 
in which the pancreas is the original seat of the disease. In 
these instances, we might hazard the working hypothesis 
of magnesium infiltration, assuming that magnesium oxide 
unites chemically with the nerve colloids of the fourth 
ventricle, and a like chemic transformation involves the 
nervous mechanism of the islands of Langerhans (in the 
pancreas), when the chain of evidence is complete. As a 
matter of fact, treatment conducted upon this basis has 
shown such remarkable results that it would be unwise to 
draw conclusions, the number of cases, although typical, 
being too limited. 

Numerous cases of diabetes are of alimentary origin 
exclusively and readily amenable to regulated diet, but even 



206 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

here there is reason to believe that acidosis has already 
determined the magnesium diathesis — indicating a demand 
for improved nutrition of the nervous system — to make the 
cells work. 

Again, I do not overlook the possibility of specific infec- 
tion with gumma formation, but the fact remains that the 
results of medical treatment conducted with the object of 
correcting the defective assimilation by promoting dissoci- 
ation of the magnesium salts, confirms the clinical diagnosis. 

Anomalies of Function. — According to von Noorden 
(Acid Auto-intoxication, 1906, p. 67), we have to deal with 
the following anomalies of function: 

(1) Defective oxidation of carbohydrates. 

(2) Diminished fat formation from carbohydrates. 

(3) Impairment of the glycogenic function — and storage. 

Treatment. — In a general way, it may be stated that no 
remedy or combination is more prompt or effective than 
calcium iodide conjointly with alkaline-saline medication, 
reinforced or guarded as required by the carbonate, sulphate 
or phosphate. Restlessness, insomnia, and all nervous 
symptoms disappear as if by magic; the digestive capacity 
is improved, and a sense of well being experienced; the 
urinary flow is gradually diminished, the percentage of sugar 
lessened, constipation is overcome, and last but not least, 
is the marked change for the better in the character of the 
circulation, notably the heart action and blood pressure. 

It should be stated here, however, that the above outline 
does not cover the entire treatment of this disease, various 
intercurrent complications requiring special attention, and 
in addition, all iodine preparations have their limitations. 

Suppurative conditions, such as boils, abscesses and car- 
buncle, are best treated by calcium sulphide; organized 
deposits, including gummata, atheroma and sclerosis are 
relieved by arsenic iodide; calcification is corrected by 
aromatic sulphuric acid, introducing a new chemic element, 
which requires discretion as well as chemic knowledge, 
but we must not overlook or neglect the demand for a 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 207 

suitable calcium salt which shall enact the role of a recon- 
structive from a physiologic viewpoint, and at the same 
time, promote chemic metamorphosis — according to the 
law of mass — caution being necessary to avoid the formation 
of oxalates. 

Where gout and rheumatism occur as complications of 
diabetes, the salicylates should be employed in alternation 
with the above treatment, but the scope of this article does 
not permit details — nor reference to organo-therapy. In 
conclusion, however, special attention should be directed 
to the evidence in favor of magnesium infiltration as the 
complication, involving as it does the nerve function of 
structures, the injury of which is known to be responsible 
for the appearance of glycosuria. 

RHEUMATISM. 

Rheumatism is a constitutional malady so common that 
it might be called "vulgar" — and the multiplicity of 
remedies advocated for its relief is bewildering. In point 
of frequency it occupies first place, and when we take into 
consideration the numerous sequelae — heart disease, joint 
affections, muscular involvement together with the coincident 
and consecutive nervous manifestations, it seems remarkable 
that the "mystery" attending its appearance and persistence 
should not have been cleared up and the malady banished 
from modern civilization. 

Affecting rich and poor alike, whether acute, subacute or 
chronic, it is always associated with one common, or shall 
we say, one universal symptom — excessive acidity. With 
a single exception, all treatment, ancient or modern is based 
upon this assumption; hence, all medication, as well as 
topical applications are employed under the impression 
that it can be "sweated out" — by hot baths, by counter- 
irritants, by wrapping the patients in blankets, by the use 
of dry or moist heat and by super-heating; and last, but 
not least, by internal medicines, acting as laxatives and 
purgatives and sudorifics and sialagogues and diuretics 



208 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

and lithotriptics, along with anodynes, antiseptics and 
narcotics, all of which may be classed as super-serviceable. 

The Chemic Deviation. — This is the common symptom, 
but we cannot say that acid excess is the cause, as otherwise 
every person who has indigestion would develop rheumatism. 
It may be safely claimed, however, that acid excess is the 
predisposing factor, and that as a result of some occult 
chemic changes, rheumatism follows. For example, we 
know that salicylic acid — in the form of oil of wintergreen — 
will afford relief when taken internally or applied locally. 
Where the patient is fairly well nourished, an acute attack 
is of short duration, sodium salicylate internally being 
quite sufficient to neutralize the effect of the rheumatic 
poison upon the nerves, the muscles and the joints. In 
debilitated subjects, those who have long suffered from acid 
excess, the disorder may persist for weeks, simply because 
the medical attendant has failed to grasp the significance 
of the chemic deviation, making no effort to restore the 
normal alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues. 

It would be interesting to study the development of 
organic heart disease as a result of an acute attack of inflam- 
matory rheumatism — due to the effect of rheumatic poison 
upon the lymphatics, so "very abundant" in the serous 
membrane or tissue lining the heart cavity and constituting 
also the pericardial sac in which it is enclosed, but it would 
require too much space to present a thoroughly convincing 
argument. Suffice it to say that many cases of well marked 
organic heart disease of recent origin can be relieved and 
cured by the treatment outlined for magnesium infiltration, 
special attention being given to maintaining the normal 
alkalescence, to chemic and physiologic stimulation of the 
lymph-glandular apparatus, together with internal remedies 
to promote magnesium dissociation. 

Now, what is true of organic heart disease following 
rheumatism is particularly true with regard to stiff and 
swollen joints, because a joint is a less complicated mechani- 
cal contrivance and can be allowed to rest, so that the 
treatment as outlined amounts to a demonstration. When 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 209 

muscles are involved, there are still fewer complications, 
treatment is simplified, and yet chronic muscular rheumatism 
appears to be omnipresent. Along with joint affections, 
subacute and chronic muscular rheumatism seems to be 
almost universal, and that too, without reason or excuse, 
since even the most persistent cases are readily amenable 
to treatment — which should be conducted for the purpose 
of correcting the chemic deviation (acid excess), and at the 
same time, removing the inorganic and organic deposits 
which impede, hinder or destroy the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of nerve impulses. 

Illustrative Cases. — The following case records, published 
some years ago, will serve to demonstrate the correctness of 
the working hypothesis, although additional evidence could 
be advanced if deemed necessary. All that can be reasonably 
demanded is supplied in the complete demonstration of a 
fundamental principle. 

One of my neighbors in the country, a farmer, had been laid 
up with rheumatism affecting one of his knees for several days, 
and was very much concerned because of his inability to get 
his crop of corn planted in time. He is about forty years of 
age and apparently in perfect health, so it seemed necessary 
only to administer a remedy which would promote the disso- 
ciation of magnesium salts and in addition, administer what 
would increase the liquidity of the blood, so I sent him iodo- 
calcium and rhus toxicodendron, small doses to be taken at 
short intervals, and as a result he was able to go ahead with his 
work on the following day and made a complete recovery. 

Another case of acute articular rheumatism had a record of 
three weeks' confinement to the house. The patient, a man 
fifty years of age, had suffered from recurrent attacks of this 
character for many years. A test of the saliva showed acid 
reaction, and to overcome this difficulty he was advised to take 
the alkaline-saline treatment at short intervals, and as a result, 
he was able to attend to his regular business after a couple of 
days, without other treatment, but to counteract this acid 
excess and prevent the recurrence of rheumatic attacks he 
14 



210 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

received a week later, small doses of calcium carbonate com- 
bined with strychnine arsenite, and suffered no further incon- 
venience until about two years later, when he complained of 
slight cardiac embarrassment. 

An examination of the heart showed well marked magnesium 
infiltration — the first sound fairly distinct, the second sound 
accentuated, and a small, frequent, almost receding pulse. 
Along with this was noted some unsteadiness in his gait, em- 
barrassment of the respiration when attempting to use the 
arms, especially in lifting anything above the waist-line, with 
exaggerated knee-jerk, and a general feeling of "nervousness." 
There was no acid excess shown by the saliva, but the cutaneous 
reaction was decidedly acid. For treatment, this patient 
received the alkaline-saline together with the same combina- 
tion of calcium carbonate and strychnine arsenite previously 
mentioned, and all the untoward symptoms promptly disap- 
peared. A year has elapsed, and there has been no return of 
the symptoms, either rheumatic, or "magnesia heart," but I 
think this has been brought about to a large extent by the 
care which has been exercised in the matter of diet. He was 
advised to avoid oat-meal, other cereals, red meats, sweet 
potatoes, beans, veal, and crackers. 

Lumbago is generally regarded as a form of rheumatism 
and is treated accordingly, with rather indifferent success. 
The diminished alkalescence is overlooked — when this is 
the chemic deviation responsible for its appearance. This 
is shown by the pronounced acidity of these subjects — and 
proved beyond question when recurrent attacks cease, 
when acidity is neutralized, and a regulated dietary adopted. 

The following case is particularly interesting because of 
the veterinary system of treatment carried out: 

A lady, over fifty years of age, suffered from recurrent 
attacks of lumbago, the last attack having been the most serious 
of all. In recounting her misfortune, she said it was necessary 
to give no less than three hypodermics, besides internal medi- 
cation and wet cups. At the time of my first visit, she had 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 211 

scarcely recovered from the effects of treatment, being unable to 
raise herself in bed, because of the stiffness of the lumbar 
muscles; there was no appetite, insomnia being persistent, with 
magnesia heart well marked; the patellar reflex was pronounced, 
and yet this patient made a prompt recovery in the course of a 
few days. 

Treatment consisted in the administration of iodo-calcium 
in small doses, alkaline-saline at short intervals, and as soon 
as the acute symptoms had subsided, calcium carbonate was 
administered — in place of the iodide. I should add here that 
this lady, two weeks later, took an automobile ride, and became 
thoroughly chilled, the result being a recurrence of lumbago, 
but the treatment previously employed proved quite as effective 
as in the first instance. 

Sciatica. — In the case of sciatica, it is always important 
to exclude infection from the stomach and bowels. As a 
rule, patients who suffer from sciatica are subject to putre- 
faction of albuminoids in the stomach or intestine, and 
nearly all of them have persistent intestinal fermentation, 
or even dilatation. 

Two cases of this character are recalled, both men about 
fifty years of age, employed in-doors in the art department of 
a popular publication, and both have suffered six months or 
more from sciatica. In both instances the treatment consisted 
in the administration of the physiologic combination of which 
oxgall is the principal ingredient, the object of this treatment 
being to correct the gastro-intestinal irritation from indigestion, 
and in addition to this, both received rhux toxicodendron, 
small doses, three or four times a day, in the form of a tablet, 
and both recovered completely in less than a week. 

GOUT AND LITHEMIA. 

In the case of these two maladies, which are so closely 
allied to rheumatism, being marked by persistent and pro- 
nounced acidity (diminished alkalescence of the body fluids 



212 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

and tissues), the general plan outlined for rheumatism is 
effective, but since cases of this character occur in which 
it appears as though these maladies might be due to some 
special cause, injury, disease, or occupation, it would not 
be profitable to divert attention by entering upon an extended 
discussion. It should be remarked in passing, however, that 
gout is presumed to be confined to a single joint, usually 
one of the great toes, but this is a mistaken notion, the 
"gouty heart" in Middlemarch being cited as an illustration. 
That the excessive formation of urates has an untoward 
effect upon the nerve mechanism is patent — similar to the 
irritability produced by the rheumatic poison, but what 
peculiar conditions, chemic or physiologic, turn the scale, 
now in producing rheumatism, and again, under apparently 
like circumstances, developing gout, is still an academic 
question. 

While lithemia is akin to both gout and rheumatism, in 
this country at least, it is sui generis, leading to uric acid 
diathesis and neurasthenia. But involvement of the joints 
in uric acid diathesis is peculiar to this disorder alone, while 
neurasthenia is seldom a concomitant of rheumatism and 
gout, so in respect to these two diseases, the chemic problem 
in nutrition still remains unsolved. 

Arthritis Deformans. — Usually, this disorder is assigned to 
lithemia, with uric acid causing deposits in and around the 
smaller joints, but we also have these deposits affecting the 
larger joints, and that, too, in the absence of lithemia — thus 
ossification of the joints may develop as a sequela of any 
serious illness, such as scarlet fever, rheumatism, typhoid 
fever, and a case has recently been reported where harden- 
ing of the muscles (ossification) followed hook-worm disease. 
When jarred by walking, which was accomplished with 
difficulty, the muscles would crack, and although the 
elbow- and finger-joints developed boil-like ulcerations, 
there was little or no pain. 

A case similar to this, the joints alone being affected, 
came under observation some years ago. It is of sufficient 
importance to warrant republication, because it shows the 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 213 

important function performed by calcium in disorders of 
nutrition. 

A physician in general practice in one of our Western 
states wrote as follows: 

"A peculiar case has recently come under observation. A 
lady, twenty-four years of age, married, finds all her joints 
becoming ankylosed, the wrists, ankles, and the neck, but she 
has no pain. The menses have always been scanty and stopped 
four months ago — so that there is complete amenorrhea. 
There is enlargement of the abdomen, but the patient is not 
enciente. The bowels are fairly regular, and while there is no 
well-defined cystitis, the patient has to urinate two or three 
times at night. Examination of the urine shows some excess of 
phosphates. The patient does not complain of the presence of 
gas or abdominal distension; the tongue is white, but not 
much coated, and she says that if it were not for her stiff 
joints she would feel perfectly well. 

"The water in this State is distinctly alkali, and generally 
brings on an attack of diarrhea in the case of new-comers, 
severe enough to put them to bed." 

At the expiration of four months, to a day, I received a 
second letter from this physician in which he stated that he 
had decided to act upon my published directions in regard 
to the use of calcium, and that he had administered large 
doses of the carbonate with beneficial results, as the patient 
had completely recovered. He also stated that he secures 
better results in nearly all cases when this calcium salt is 
liberally used. To quote from the letter: 

" Very often, I get startling results from that alone, in chronic 
cases, of course. This is no doubt due to the fact that the 
water is very bad in this State and contains large quantities 
of magnesium. 

Replying to this latter communication, I made the following 
observation: "I think your conclusion in regard to the dele- 
terious effects of the water is correct, and to my mind it fully 



214 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

bears out the statement of Professor Loew, regarding the 
advantages of administering lime in excess in the case of 
magnesium nucleo-proteids." 

The analgesic effect of magnesium sulphate is usually sought 
by surgeons, large doses being given after all operations 
requiring anesthesia — which interferes with imbibition — on 
the plea that it is important to maintain an antiseptic con- 
dition of the alimentary canal by preventing accumulations. 
They know that these patients develop nervous manifes- 
tations — for relief of which bromides are given — that they 
show failure in nutrition — arrested imbibition — for which 
tonics are given — that this leads to a demand for laxatives, 
calomel and castor oil, showing clearly that the internal 
treatment is based upon erroneous premises — tradition 
rather than modern science. The employment of this salt 
defeats the very purpose for which it is used, and prolongs 
the period of convalescence — and besides, many operations 
are rendered useless because of the "disturbance" in the 
cellular activities incident to the presence of magnesium in 
excess. Physicians are generally culpable in this mismanage- 
ment and even defend their practice — on historical grounds 
and evident popularity. Some may be found who will 
admit that they knew it all the time, but had forgotten. 

It will prove interesting and instructive to recall certain 
pronounced features in the case mentioned — the enlarged 
joints with absence of pain, the abdominal distension with 
regular bowel movements, the scanty menses and finally 
amenorrhea, the increased urinary flow, and particularly, 
the normal, mental poise — landmarks in studying the pro- 
gressive character of the invasion or diathesis. 

The importance of these symptoms it is difficult to estimate, 
since they are common in all disorders, where magnesium 
infiltration is not the frank, dominant symptom — in gout, 
rheumatism and uric acid with joint involvement, tabes 
mesentericus, spondylitis tuberculosa and neurasthenia with 
abdominal distension, scanty menses and increased renal 
action, but the most important is the fact that mentality 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 215 

remained intact. Even a slight deviation from normal in 
the cellular activities, reversion, or retrograde metamor- 
phosis with defective oxidation and impaired elimination 
might so hinder molecular changes as to produce a long 
train of untoward consequences, such for example, as neur- 
algia, neuritis, arterio-sclerosis with atheroma, leading to 
heart failure, cerebral apoplexy, or renal degeneration, and 
it is in the treatment of cases of this character where I 
expect to establish the physiologic basis in cell medication — 
cellular therapy — by the presentation of concrete examples 
of magnesium infiltration. 



DISEASES OF BONE 

Unfortunately for the rising generation, diseases of bone 
have not been given that consideration which their impor- 
tance deserves, in evidence of which we only have to look 
at the number of flat-footed children on the public streets, 
or if they are not thus affected, they have twisted heels, 
and wherever this condition is found it may be accepted 
as a fairly reliable proposition that we have some spinal 
disorder, the most frequent being spondylitis or rarefying 
ostitis, although it is not uncommon to find curvature or 
"buckling" of the spine. If any further evidence is required, 
I have only to mention the popularity of braces, on one 
hand, and osteopathy on the other — conditions which 
clearly point to physical decadence in the rising generation. 
Several cases may be mentioned. 

"Some years ago, a girl, seventeen years of age, came under 
observation with all the usual symptoms of Pott's disease of 
the spine, there being displacement of three lumbar vertebrae, 
and for the two years preceding there has been an elevation of 
temperature nearly every afternoon. The patient appeared 
to be fairly well nourished but anemic, and of course, we have 
no medical treatment which can overcome this physical defect. 
It was a question between the employment of a jacket or brace 



216 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

and osteopathic manipulations, and the mother decided upon 
the latter. Six or eight months later, I was again consulted 
in regard to the patient and found marked improvement in 
the position of the vertebra?, but there was still evidently some 
impaired nutrition — a lack of ability to stand continued exer- 
tion, occasions when despondency was marked, capricious 
appetite, persistent constipation, and various other mani- 
festations which are so common when we have to deal with 
impaired nutrition. 

Treatment in this case consisted chiefly in the adminis- 
tration of the oxgall combination previously mentioned, to 
improve the digestive capacity, but all forms of laxatives 
proved useless, the most efficient measure for overcoming 
the costive habit being found in calcium sulphate, adminis- 
tered in small doses. As a result of treatment this patient 
has now attained womanhood, and is a perfect picture of 
health. 

Several years ago, I saw a girl, twelve years of age, from the 
South. She was developed physically to the age of sixteen, 
remarkably bright, but her mother said she could not enjoy 
play like other children. If she played for an hour or longer, 
she would come into the house and lie down on the sofa, and 
the temperature would run up to 100° F., and even without 
exercise not infrequently the temperature would go to 99 . 5° F. 
in the afternoon. 

This patient also suffered from intestinal indigestion, so 
much so indeed that an operation for appendicitis had been 
performed six months previously. The mother seemed sur- 
prised that the operation for appendicitis had not caused a 
disappearance of the intestinal indigestion, and after examining 
the seat of operation, I turned the child over and discovered 
that the operation had been done on the wrong side, the lumbar 
vertebrae being displaced, and of course, my advice was dis- 
regarded. However, I learned six months later that the patient 
was condemned to have another operation done because it was 
a clear case of appendicitis. To this, of course, the mother 
objected, because it did not seem reasonable that a person 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 217 

could have appendicitis after the appendix had been removed, 
and she then brought forward my exposition of the subject. 
The surgeon, after an examination of the spine, found the 
condition as I had stated, and adopted suitable measures for 
relief, so that the little girl, now a young lady, made a perfect 
recovery. 

Under date of August 5, 1907, a boy, seventeen years of age, 
came under treatment for hip-joint disease. He had been com- 
pelled to use crutches for a year past. Both hip-joints had 
been operated on, the first at four years of age. He had been 
dismissed from a hospital about three weeks previous to this 
visit, where a plaster cast had been applied without benefit. 
In fact, the patient said he felt better before entering the 
hospital than when he left. The father told me that at both 
times when the operations were done an examination was made 
to determine the presence of tubercular infection, but the 
surgeons reported negative results. There was no elevation of 
temperature, and the patient appeared to be fairly well nourished 
for a growing boy. The left leg was the one most affected, and 
the pain in the left hip-joint was so great that he could not bear 
his weight upon it. 

In this case it was not deemed necessary to administer 
alkaline-saline treatment, because the salivary and cutaneous 
reactions were normal. The oxgall combination was adminis- 
tered, and along with this, either calcium sulphate, calcium 
carbonate or calcium phosphate, for the reasons previously 
given, the object of medication being to restore directly the 
bone-tissue. As a result of treatment, he was able to ride a 
bicycle on September 28, using the right foot to propel the 
machine, and keeping the left on the opposite treadle in order 
to get muscular exercise of the affected limb. 

The patient discontinued treatment in December, the last 
visit being made on December 16, so that he was under obser- 
vation a little over four months, during which period I saw him 
seven times. His father told me later that the boy was in good 
health, and had discarded his crutches entirely since early in 
the spring, and when I expressed my surprise that he had made 
such a prompt recovery, he said, "Well, I'm satisfied." 



218 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Significance of Bone Disease. — This section would be 
incomplete without a brief comment relative to the signifi- 
cance of bone disease occurring in children and adolescents. 
Hitherto, many of these cases have been regarded as tuber- 
cular, and this was the diagnosis offered in the first case 
mentioned, by a popular consultant, his specialty being the 
treatment of deformities. In all such cases — rarefying 
ostitis — which is simply a wasting process, a "consumption'' 
of bone material, we have tangible evidence, the disorder of 
nutrition being marked by visible and demonstrable effects. 
When we have to deal with the psychic element, in the form 
of mental deficiency, along with anemia, chlorosis, adenoids, 
catarrh, amenorrhea, chorea and "tantrums," the connec- 
tion is less distinct, so that medical treatment is conducted 
for the purpose of correcting an incidental factor, rather 
than for the purpose of restoring normal metabolism. 

We must bear in mind that the off-tendency in early life — 
in both animals and plants — is toward acid excess; hence, 
there is a depletion of the lime content with replacement 
by magnesia — and the mystery is solved. 

While various organizations are enthusiastically engaged 
in discussing "Child Welfare," and have already accom- 
plished much by their efforts to effect reforms in developing 
backward children, it must be apparent, from the published 
reports, that the active workers have failed to grasp the 
fundamental principles underlying mental deficiency. An 
editorial writer, referring to the proposed work of the 
recent Conference held in Philadelphia, criticises the "rating" 
system now in vogue for children unable to keep up with their 
classes, says: 

They are not necessarily deficient mentally; they are merely 
slower to " catch-on" than others, but they constitute a drag on 
the work of an entire class. 

Various plans for specially coaching such children have 
been advocated, but none has yet been shown to work as 
satisfactorily as could be desired. If, therefore, the coming 
Conference, bringing together as it will, numbers of the most 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 219 

experienced educators, can evolve a direct and practical system 
whereby the slow child may be given the extra attention neces- 
sary to its proper advancement, and a system which, while it 
will not interfere with the regular working of the normal pupils, 
will yet provide against discouraging the sub-normal, it will 
accomplish something of particular merit, not alone to this 
city, but to the country as a whole. 

The child who falls behind through no fault of his own 
during school days, often in later years, with proper environ- 
ment, develops into an excellent citizen. But he should always 
have something like that proper environment while he is still 
young. 

Here, it will be observed, is a well marked illustration of 
mis-directed energy — "trying to evolve a direct and prac- 
tical system whereby the slow child may be given the extra 
attention necessary to its proper advancement/' whereas 
these children could be promptly "developed" mentally by 
merely supplying them with a suitable lime salt — along 
with a properly regulated dietary. 

Too much stress is laid upon the environment — to the 
neglect of diet. The most consummate alchemist must 
have an actual substance before undertaking his marvelous 
projects. We know something of the history of "making 
bricks without straw," and while it is accomplished success- 
fully at the present day, we know more about chemistry 
and physiology; hence the folly and uselessness of attempting 
the impossible. 

Growth and Development. — A study of the anomalies 
connected with physical growth and mental development 
will shed a ray of light upon this occult question — and 
explain how and why "the child who falls behind . . . 
often in later years . . . develops into an excellent 
citizen." In 1897, a young man, eighteen years of age, just 
out of grammar school, decided that he would like to go into 
business, found a position with a large and long established 
trust company, and asked for a recommendation, which 
was given. His school record was that of a reliable, but 



220 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

very slow student. Gradually, as he attained his full 
growth, he was promoted from time to time, so that at the 
end of ten years he was appointed trust officer, and it is 
extremely doubtful if environment had anything to do with 
it — he was constantly under the criticism of his associates 
for his persistent industry. 

Now, it is a well known fact that when children, boys as 
well as girls, take on rapid growth, they are "slow of com- 
prehension/' often stupid, lacking in concentration and 
unable to remember lessons which they have learned "by 
heart" — when parents and teachers become alarmed for 
their welfare. The fact is that growth and development do 
not go hand in hand; there is frequently a "hitch," due to 
lack of symmetry, chemic as well as physiologic deviation. 
Rapid growth means a demand for bone-making material 
in excess of the normal supply, and as a consequence, 
development of the nervous system lags, even without 
taking account of the off-tendency to acid excess. It is not 
unusual to find children, ten years of age with arrested 
growth quite as "forward" in their studies as others of 
fourteen and sixteen, where rapid growth has retarded 
development of the nervous mechanism. 

Confirming these deductions are the clinical results 
attending treatment. Other things being equal — diet, 
environment and no hereditary encumbrances, we can 
correct the chemic deviation responsible for mental defici- 
ency by employing suitable lime salts. Conversely, we can 
initiate physical growth, even in the case of precocious 
children, by precisely the same treatment. In the first 
instance, a substance is applied artificially to meet a demand 
of the system which nature — or indigestion — has failed to 
supply. In the latter case, we introduce a remedy which 
acts as a chemic stimulus, promoting dissociation of the 
magnesium salts — according to the law of mass action — 
which impair the functional activity of the body cells, by 
interfering with imbibition (absorption). 

The Binet Test for feeble-minded children — and also 
applicable to normal children — consists of a scientifically 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 221 

graded series of questions adapted to different ages. Thus, 
a normal child at three, four or five years of age should be 
able to answer intelligently certain questions adapted to 
the respective ages. Usually, these questions consist of a 
series of five, and when the child answers four of the Hve 
questions, it is said to be normal. However, should the child 
fail to answer four of the questions at the proper age, it 
goes back one or more years, this being determined by em- 
ploying questions adapted to the lower grades. Should the 
child answer four of the questions for the physical age and 
any other five questions of a similar character, then this child 
is graded for one year extra; that is to say, it is precocious by 
one year. When the child answers ten questions in addition 
to the regulation series, then it is entitled to an extra grade 
of two years. And so the examination is conducted for the 
different ages. 

It might be supposed that this system would lead to 
serious error, but fortunately, we have a fairly reliable 
guide which acts as a check — the child is asked certain 
questions in series beginning at an age which is known to 
be beyond his mental ability, and thus he drops back into 
the proper nitch. 

Mental Deficiency and Precocity. — In this connection should 
be mentioned the systematic work conducted by Goddard 
for the purpose of determining by means of the Binet test 
the mental deficiency and precocity of a large number of 
school children. 

The investigations covered a system which included 5,000 
population within a small city, and as many more outside, so 
that we have here both the city and country school population, 
in all about 2,000 children. The number of tests made together 
with the percentage of normal pupils as well as the percentage 
of deficient pupils is conveniently shown in the accompanying 
table. 



222 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Table Showing Mental Deficiency and Precocity (Goddard). 



No. of 




Per 




Per 










Tests. 


Normal. 


cent. 


Deficient. 


cent. 


Precocity. 


Years. 


Deficiency. 


Years. 


1547 


554 


35.8 


993 


64.2 


329 

49 

14 

2 


1 
2 
3 
4 


312 

156 

79 

37 

8 
6 

1 


1 

2 
3 
4 
5 

6 

7 



394 599 

For example, in this school population, the percentage of 
normal children was a little above 35, while the remainder, 64 
percent., were deficient; but among the normal we have quite 
a number who show precocity. Thus, 394 of the normal chil- 
dren showed precocity ranging from one to four years, while 
599 showed deficiency, ranging from one to seven years. 

So far as can be learned, these tests, as well as similar 
tests conducted for the purpose of determining the men- 
tality of feeble-minded children, have all been conducted 
without regard to dietary investigations, and in view of the 
present tendency disclosed, relating to the employment of 
cereals and other food-stuffs containing magnesia in excess, 
it seems desirable that further investigation upon this 
important question should take into consideration the 
food problem, and the reader is therefore referred to the 
discussion along with the dietary studies which appears on 
page 92 et seq. 

Now, it is not unlikely that these claims will be ques- 
tioned; indeed, it is highly probable that the deductions 
will be classed as speculative therapeutics, or medical trans- 
cendentalism, being so far in advance of medical art that 
they possess merely a theoretical basis. Still, whatever is 
lacking in the line of evidence or proof may be readily found 
or discovered by any physician of ordinary intelligence, or 
by any experimental physiologist, notwithstanding the 
almost universal trend in teaching to the contrary. The 
main difficulty lies in the habit which has led to inactivity 






COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 223 

regarding fundamental questions connected with the chemic 
problem in nutrition — and the prevalent tendency to rely 
upon tradition. 

In this connection should be mentioned the excellent 
monograph by Langworthy, 1 in which he refers to the 
mineral matter required in the diet. He says : 

Experimental investigations, particularly physiologic studies 
along these lines, are not very numerous ... It 
is doubtful whether a moderate alteration in the absolute 
quantity or the mutual relations of the ash constituents of 
foods plays such an important part in nutrition as is some- 
times claimed, but there is no doubt that in the long run the 
body must be supplied with the requisite amount of mineral 
matter of different sorts, in order that it may be normally 
nourished. 

In this publication appears a tabulated estimate of the 
amount of mineral matter required per man per day, showing 
0.7 to 1.0 gram (10.5 to 15 grains) calcium oxide, and 
0.3 to 0.5 gram (4.5 to 7.5 grains) magnesium oxide, so 
that we have a fairly reliable guide for medication when it 
is desired to promote magnesium dissociation. 

In the case of backward children, for example, we can 
administer calcium (lime) to the full limit of the daily 
ration, on the assumption that the chemic deviation inter- 
feres with or hinders the appropriation of this substance, 
the defect being traceable directly to the secondary assimil- 
ation, and ultimately to the nervous system. Correction 
of the defect — mental deficiency — by such means, even in 
a single instance, should be accepted as fairly good evidence 
that the deductions are warranted. When this procedure is 
equally successful in a series of consecutive cases, the problem 
is solved — since it shows that the ordinary lime content of 
the food is not available. How unfortunate then, the obser- 
vation of our author, " a deficiency of calcium may be readily 
corrected by using larger amounts of milk and cheese." 

1 Loc. cit. 



224 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

The following record will serve to clear up this interesting 
question. The subject is a boy, 16 years of age, and within the 
last two years has taken on rapid growth. Although he is 
symmetrical and appears to be in perfect health, he is unable 
even with assistance to keep up with his class. The appetite 
is good, he sleeps well, and there are no bad habits to interfere 
with his studies. 

In this instance the family table is liberal, even bountiful, 
but the breakfast is decidedly objectionable, cereals, fruit, and 
milk; hence, the necessity for correcting this error, which gives 
rise to the chemic deviation, as a preliminary to medication. 
Instructions were given to take breakfast first, then follow with 
the cereals, fruit, and milk. 

Treatment, begun November 1, consisted in the employment 
of calcium carbonate (vitalized chalk) two and a half grains 
three times a day, in the form of a normal trituration, and in 
less than two weeks there was no demand for help with lessons. 
During the month of December, the patient had six grains 
twice daily, with a most satisfactory showing, his average 
for the month being 15 per cent, above any previous record — 
and that too, without assistance. 

I cannot close this discussion without referring briefly 
to the recent announcement (pronunciamento ?), credited 
to Sir James Crichton-Browne, the eminent British savant. 
He has no fears for the backward child and declares "good 
food will brighten them to the normal standard," although 
he thinks precocity a bad sign, and that premature quickness 
often develops into later stupidity. Evidently, this mani- 
festo appears as a defense of modern civilization, or an excuse 
for the short-comings of medical art — shown by the 
admission : 

"Among ourselves here in England, some retardation of 
mental evolution is taking place, for the boys of a century ago 
of 14 or 15 years of age were educationally ahead of the boys 
of the same age today." 

He says, " Our boys are backward in order that they may be 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 225 

more forward later on/' and cites the biologic law that the higher 
the organism, the longer it takes to attain maturity. Hence, 
the deduction: Should the chemic deviation responsible for 
backwardness in children remain unrecognized, England stands 
in line to produce a race of intellectual giants. 

Like all other writers, Sir James deals in "glittering gener- 
alities. " Thus, "Lack of proper feeding will, if long continued, 
permanently dwarf and damage the brain. We are sometimes 
told that the brain is the last organ to suffer from deprivation 
of food. My own conviction is that it is the first organ to 
suffer. Every brain-worker knows the dulling effect of the 
want of regular meals." 

Now, in view of the peculiar chemic transformation — in 
respect to lime and magnesia — which occurs as a result of 
impairment of the digestive capacity (primary assimilation), 
the term "proper feeding" is too indefinite, and throughout 
this entire sketch, I have constantly and conscientiously 
aimed to develop the chemic deviation, the cases presented 
being singularly confirmatory of Sir James' contention, 
except that I do not limit the effects to the brain alone, but 
include the whole nerve mechanism. 

Precocity has already been referred to, and would not 
be mentioned again, except for the sweeping condemnation 
of Sir James, as "a bad sign," when it is merely another 
signal from the same source — and due to like causes, similar, 
but not identical, although the same treatment is notably 
efficacious. This question is discussed under the head of 
"Growth and Development," and quite a number of typical 
cases have come under observation during the past twenty- 
five years which fully bear out the claims put forward. 
Unfortunately, however, unless some intercurrent malady 
supervenes, the medical attendant is rarely asked for advice, 
the parents regarding precocity as a fortuitous variation. 
Later in life, when the pendulum swings to the other side 
and stupidity develops, literally, when the magnesium 
nucleo-proteids cease to functionate, the only consolation 
is a belief in fore-ordination or retribution. 
15 



226 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

In conclusion, it is pertinent to remark that the degener- 
ative changes mentioned will account for the frequency as 
well as the fatality of brain disease in this class of cases, 
while, at the same time, the general exposition of the subject 
reflects the line of treatment to be pursued. 

Consecutive Ailments. — As a rule, we find that young 
persons suffering from impairment of nutrition in the 
skeleton develop various symptoms, such as anemia, catarrh, 
adenoids, etc., and are susceptible to colds, sore throat 
(tonsillitis), but it does not follow that these minor ailments 
always point to wasting of bone. It is true, however, that 
defective bone-formation brings out these consecutive ail- 
ments, although all belong to the same category. 

Take the following case as an illustration: 

A boy, twelve years old, is unable to keep up with all his 
studies, and his parents request and obtain a remission, but 
this does not overcome his mental apathy. Physical examina- 
tion shows "hollow-back," due to displacement forward of the 
lumbar vertebrae. Even moderate exercise, such as walking, 
causes a peculiar sensation. He says, "It feels funny — just as 
if something was sticking me, and it tickles." He has to stop, 
and wants to sit down. 

In a case of this character, the suggestion to employ internal 
treatment, to most physicians, would be regarded as absurd, 
and when parents are sufficiently interested, a jacket is applied, 
no attention being given to the chemic deviation which has 
brought about wasting of bone. In this instance, internal 
treatment — calcium carbonate — was continued for a time in 
addition to osteo-therapy with promising results, although the 
dietary was not altogether satisfactory. This was developed 
a year and a half later, when he joined a military camping 
party and gained seventeen pounds in less than two months — 
he was highly elated with the prospect of a ten-mile tramp 
daily. Previous to this outing, however, a marked change had 
taken place, physical and mental — the boy had displayed most 
remarkable talent, bordering on genius, and now comes the 
consecutive disorder, a broken arch, as a result of foot-ball. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 227 

Other cases, similar in character, might be quoted — for 
the purpose of tracing the relationship, or cause and effect, 
but it does not seem necessary for the intelligent reader 
who is sufficiently interested to become familiar with the 
corroborative evidence presented in these pages. The 
author assumes that sufficient evidence has been offered to 
confirm the contention that stability and permanency in 
health maintenance depend upon the integrity of the nerve 
mechanism, and he believes that a critical study of nerve 
conservation will demand a more thorough investigation 
of the chemic problem in nutrition. 



THE COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL 
MALADIES— Continued. 

Suppuration — Treatment — Abscess — Boils and Carbuncle — 
Organo-therapy. 

Catarrh — Acute Catarrh — Bronchial Catarrh — Summer Catarrh — 
Stomach Catarrh — Intestinal Catarrh — General Remarks on Mucous 
Catarrh — Catarrhal Inflammation — Catarrh of the Bladder — Uterine 
Catarrh — Leucorrhea — Prostatorrhea — Intestinal Adhesions — Plastic 
Inflammation. 

Infectious Diseases — Bacteria — Ptomains and Leucomains — 
Microbic Digestion. 

SUPPURATION. 

For all practical purposes, the remarks in the preceding 
chapter might be regarded as an introduction to the study 
of suppurative conditions, a more common complication 
in disease than is generally supposed. In the case of dia- 
betes, for example, no precautions are taken to prevent 
the development of this complication, and as a result, we 
have boils, abscesses, carbuncle and the like constantly 
developing. Notwithstanding this condition of affairs, no 
one has developed the prevision to point out that this 
tendency to suppuration may possibly go hand in hand 
with the diminished alkalinity of the blood — in diabetes, 
the alkalinity of the blood is diminished from 30 to 50 per 
cent., and necessarily this interferes with the functional 
activity of the lymph-glandular system, and here lies the 
key to the unfortunate concatenation of circumstances. In 
the case of rheumatism, where acid excess is the dominating 
factor, the joints frequently suffer, and it is not unusual 
to have patients recover with stiffened joints — this being 
largely due to the sluggish condition of the lymphatics, 
these vessels being "very abundant" in the synovial mem- 
branes. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 229 

In the case of gout and lithemia, with diminished alkal- 
escence of the body fluids, there is also found what might 
be termed a drying process, in which we have lymph-stasis, 
and as a result, there are deposits in and around the joints. 
Again, bone-wasting often leads to a form of suppuration — 
necrosis — or death of the bone-tissue, a complication which 
could not occur under normal conditions. Hence, the 
deduction regarding the constitutional effects of acid excess, 
and while the ineluctable nature of the task is forbidding, 
the evidence, physiologic and chemic, scientific and clinical, 
and even microscopic, confirms the working hypothesis, 
since all these various factors, when worked out, comple- 
ment each other, forming a situation which is at once 
impregnable and unassailable. 

Suppuration is substantially a decomposition of living 
tissues. Of course, bacterial invasion is a factor, persist- 
ent and relentless, but not necessarily fateful. Nature pro- 
vides immunity in a degree, and when supplemented by 
science and art, we can promote recovery, because bacteria 
cannot subsist under normal conditions as regards chemic 
reactions. 

Thus, we are brought face to face with questions relating 
to the inevitable conflict between health and disease — Why 
is suppuration? Necessarily, this answer should make 
inquiry as to the causative factor or factors. In general, 
we may assume that derangement of function is due to 
defective nerve conduction. This reply covers the ground 
in a general way, but it does not develop details; hence, it 
might appear too sweeping and untenable. 

Let us examine this more carefully. First and foremost, 
we have to deal with acidity, a surplus of acid in the body 
fluids and tissues, interfering with the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of nerve impulses. In the second place, we have 
chemic deviations in the inorganic substances which enter 
into the composition of the tissues, whether these tissues 
be flesh or bone; thirdly, as a result of excessive acidity, 
together with the chemic deviations resulting therefrom, 
there is failure in absorption — impaired imbibition — the 



230 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

cellular structures being unable to take up the necessary 
pabulum to maintain their integrity. And finally, as a 
result of this disordered metabolism, we have necrosis, or 
tissue death. 

It will be observed, therefore, that all this harks back to 
impaired assimilation, primary and secondary, and it is ex- 
tremely difficult to present consecutively the various steps 
demanded, if we expect and desire to restore the normal 
cellular activities. A physician, to comprehend the chemic 
problem in nutrition, must be able to recognize the expres- 
sions of the various deviations, and he must also be prepared 
to counteract or mitigate that which is most pressing. A 
quotation from John Locke (Human Understanding, 1829), 
will serve to illustrate the importance and necessity of 
having a thorough knowledge of the underlying principles 
which make for health and longevity: 

"For example, in this proposition, that the three angles of a 
triangle are equal to two right ones, one who has seen and 
clearly perceived the demonstration of this truth, knows it to 
be true, when that demonstration is gone out of his mind; so 
that at present, it is not actually in view, and possibly cannot 
be recollected; but he knows it in a different way than what he 
did before. The agreement of the two ideas joined in that 
proposition is perceived, but it is by the intervention of other 
ideas than those which at first produced that perception. He 
remembers, i. e., he knows (for remembrance is but the reviving 
of some past knowledge), that he was once certain of the truth 
of this proposition, that the three angles of a triangle are equal 
to two right ones. The immutability of the same relations 
between the same immutable things, is now the idea that shows 
him, that if the three angles of a triangle were once equal to 
two right ones, they will always be equal to two right ones. 
And hence, he comes to be certain, that what was once true in 
the case, is always true; what ideas once agreed, will always 
agree; and consequently, what he once knew to be true, he will 
always know to be true, as long as he can remember that he 
once knew it." 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 231 

Not only did Locke understand the value of fundamental 
knowledge, but he also recognized the difficulties in the 
way of applying recognized principles. For instance, in 
speaking of the lack of skill to use syllogisms, he says: 

"There are those who cannot carry a train of consequences 
in their heads, nor weigh exactly the preponderancy of contrary 
proofs and testimonies, making every circumstance its due 
allowance. . . . There are some men of one, some but 
of two, syllogisms, and no more; and others who can advance 
but a step farther. These cannot always discern that side on 
which the strongest proofs lie; cannot constantly follow that 
which in itself is the more probable opinion." 

Experience has shown that Locke was right in another 
respect, where he says there is a lack of will to use knowledge 
or information. He says: 

"There are another sort of people that want proofs, not 
because they are out of their reach, but because they will not 
use them." 

These teachings, while radical in character, are not 
revolutionary in the sense of being iconoclastic. The 
principles advanced have long been recognized as a part of 
our general scientific heritance; it is only in their classifica- 
tion, adaptation and application, that they are novel. 
While physicians here and there are ready and willing to 
adopt the principles advanced, as a rule, we find a great 
majority merely display an avuncular interest; they are 
neither pessimists nor agnostics, but they have neither the 
disposition nor the time to study the fundamental basis, 
and consequently, they cannot understand that the three 
angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles, except 
when brought to their attention in one particular way. 
In other words, they lack the capacity for entertaining more 
than a single syllogism at one and the same time. 

Here is an illustration that will serve to confirm the 






232 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

claims put forward in regard to excessive acidity. It has 
been found experimentally that removal of the parathyroids 
in animals produces a state of acidosis, and that the acidosis 
is responsible for the fatal outcome. When proper measures 
are taken to prevent or lessen the acidosis, the animals will 
live longer and vice versa. Thus, the average length of 
time, following parathyroidectomy is nine days, but it may 
be increased to twenty days by diminishing the acidosis; 
further, by increasing acidosis, the life of the animal is 
reduced to seven days. 

Treatment. — In discussing the treatment of suppuration with 
magnesium infiltration as the complication in constitutional 
maladies, it will serve our purpose to point out the three 
cardinal principles to be followed, leaving for details the 
consideration of the various forms, types or varieties in 
which suppuration occurs. These three cardinal principles 
may be stated formally as follows: 

(1) Neutralize acidity — alkaline-saline medication. 

(2) Stimulate the lymph-glandular system — calcium sulphide. 

(3) Promote magnesium dissociation — calcium salts. 

Abscess. — A technical description of abscess formation 
will answer as a means of illustrating suppuration wherever 
it occurs, because it covers the pathologic changes taking 
place in the tissues with and without the presence of bac- 
teria. Abscess formation is due to local disorder, irritation 
of the tissues, and usually arises from the presence of 
bacteria. There is exudation — of serum with leucocytes, 
followed by colliquation necrosis or death of the cellular 
structures with the formation of a cavity containing pus — 
a liquid composed of liquor puris with many pus cells — dead 
as well as living leucocytes. 

The phenomena attending pus - formation are easily 
recognized — heat, redness, pain, swelling, tenderness, soften- 
ing, fluctuation and pointing, and on testing the salivary 
reaction, it is almost invariably acid, while the acid reaction 
of the skin is always pronounced. When the contents of 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 233 

an abscess find access to the adjacent tissues — infiltration — 
constitutional reaction occurs; the pulse-rate is accelerated, 
temperature rises, the secretions are arrested, there is loss 
of appetite, and unless the pus-cavity is evacuated, chills, 
followed by sweating supervene — in other words, fever. 

In the absence of bacteria, plastic inflammation may 
arise from local irritation or injury. Blood serum, along 
with leucocytes escaping from the vessels, form an "exu- 
date," when the fibrin causes adhesion between contiguous 
structures — viscera, muscles, etc. Under favorable con- 
ditions, the plastic exudate breaks down and is absorbed, 
while the reverse — acid excess — results in new fibro-connec- 
tive tissue, when the adhesions become permanent, as is 
frequently the case after abdominal operations. 

Special attention should be directed here to the ultimate 
effects upon the exudate — the contrast between the results 
obtained under normal conditions as regards chemic reac- 
tions, and that following excessive acidity, this being 
particularly noticeable after abdominal operations, referred 
to under the head of "adhesions," later on. 

The following case of abscess, reported some time ago, 
will serve to develop the advantages attending treatment 
conducted in accordance with the three cardinal principles 
mentioned above: 

A young man, aged 27, walking with crutches, presented an 
interesting and instructive case of magnesium infiltration. He 
gave the following history : He had been under treatment for a 
period of thirty-one weeks, apparently the result of an internal 
abscess which "pointed" in the right groin. The first operation 
did not prove successful, and he was taken to the hospital 
where a second operation was done. The wound finally healed, 
leaving a considerable area of thickened and painful tissue, so 
much so that he was unable to bend the leg at the thigh without 
great pain. Tenderness in the hip-joint was so great that the 
slightest movement caused pain at the head of the bone; 
pressure over the joint externally was also painful, so that he 
had to be waited upon, being unable to dress and undress 



234 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

himself. At the time of the first visit, he had been away from 
the hospital about two weeks, although during his stay in the 
hospital, five weeks in all, no medicine had been administered, 
a fact which is to be recorded in favor of the medical attendants, 
because they knew of nothing which could benefit him. 

Treatment in this case was conducted for the purpose of 
promoting absorption of the plastic exudate which had involved 
the muscles, preventing movement, and in addition to this, 
it was necessary to correct the pronounced acid excess which 
had resulted from inactivity coupled with the bacterial infec- 
tion incident to the abscess formation. The patient had 
suffered part of the time from night-sweats and even at the 
first consultation, he reported that any exertion caused profuse 
perspiration. This acid excess was readily determined by 
employing the litmus paper, testing the saliva as well as 
the perspiration. 

To correct the suppurative tendency he was given the 
usual medicament which develops hydrogen sulphide (calcium 
sulphide), together with alkaline-saline, and as a result, the 
unnatural hardness began to subside. The pain in the hip- 
joint disappeared in the course of a few days, although the joint 
still remained tender, but the patient experienced quite a fright, 
owing to the swelling and numbness of the leg which supervened. 
However, it was explained that this was really a conservative 
process and would gradually subside. 

The acid excess persistently continued, showing that nature 
was unable to provide the necessary lime salts, even with a 
good appetite, and as the suppurative tendency had been 
corrected, the treatment was modified by the substitution of 
the calcium carbonate, "vitalized chalk." At the end of six 
weeks, the patient had discarded the crutches, was using only a 
cane when he took long walks, and within a few days he returned 
to his former employment as an operative in a factory, this 
happy result having been secured and the cure completed after 
four consultations. 

Contrast the results here with the experience of another 
young man, similarly affected, and living in the immediate 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 235 

neighborhood. He had "hectic" fever, spent part of his 
time at home — where he could receive good attention — part 
of the time he was in the hospital under suspicion that 
he would get better attention, and finally, a year having 
elapsed, a consultant diagnosticated suppuration, operated 
and removed nearly a pint of pus. Recovery was uneventful 
but it required a year and a half instead of six weeks. 

In this case, we have first to deal with bacterial infection 
in connection with the abscess, probably an abscess of the 
psoas muscle, and as in all such instances, where we have 
to deal with suppuration an acid condition attends, the 
physiologic equilibrium is upset, and so far, in our medical 
text-books, there is no treatment available except the 
employment of so-called "tonics." In fact, this line of 
treatment was recommended to the patient; he was advised 
to take treatment for a few months in another hospital, 
and as an inducement, he was told that he might expect to 
make a partial recovery in the course of a year. Confi- 
dentially, the patient's sister was told that her brother had 
hip-joint disease, and that it was tubercular and recovery 
doubtful. 

A word in regard to the alkaline-saline treatment together 
with addition of chalk. The former restored the alkalinity 
of the blood, flushed the intercellular spaces and enabled the 
body cells to perform their functions under approximately 
normal conditions, while the calcium carbonate supplied 
the inorganic substance which the acid had filtered out, and 
besides, according to the law of mass, the magnesium oxide 
was reduced, changed or modified to such an extent that it 
no further acted as a bar to the uninterrupted transmission 
of nerve impulses. 

Boils and Carbuncle. — Boils, abscesses, carbuncle and even 
so simple a disorder as a common cold, are readily amenable 
to the alkaline-saline treatment, calcium sulphide in small 
doses being a remedy superior to any hitherto offered as a 
substitute. Still, it is lacking in efficiency without attention 
to the salivary and cutaneous reactions. Some years ago, 
I prescribed for a lady who had recurrent attacks of boils. 



236 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

She told me she had as many as sixty at one time on her 
forearm, and she was then beginning to have a new crop, 
starting with a dozen or more. The treatment here outlined 
proved successful and satisfactory in this case, and yet 
there was a high specific gravity of the urine together with 
glucose. 

As a further proof of the value of this simple remedy in 
cases of this character, I may cite here the case of a gentleman, 
40 years of age, who had for a week or more been poulticing a 
substantial looking boil on the right side of his neck. I advised 
discarchng the poultice altogether, positively forbade squeezing 
the boil, and prescribed calcium sulphide in small doses. At 
the end of the week, when I next saw him, he told me that the 
boil discharged profusely through four separate openings and 
that he thought something was wrong, as the discharge had 
entirely ceased. A week or ten days later, the "carbuncle" 
had healed entirely, showing only a perceptible scar. 

A young lady came under observation for rheumatism (?) 
affecting the eyeball. She had suffered from an attack of 
rheumatism and in some way during her stay at the hospital 
her eye had become affected, and as a consequence, it was very 
much swollen, blood-shot, and there was marked photophobia. 
Calcium sulphide and the alkaline-saline treatment relieved 
this condition in the course of a week or ten days. 

Another case is that of a boy attending school, who had met 
with his third accident in ball-playing. The eye was notably 
disfigured and the surgeon at the institution told him he would 
probably lose his eye-sight, but calcium sulphide relieved the 
whole trouble in the course of a week or ten days, leaving the 
eye in a perfectly normal condition. 

While it is true these are not typical cases of magnesium 
infiltration, it must be admitted that being due to pyogenic 
infection, there is a disturbance in tissue change giving 
rise to acid excess, and by showing the availability of simple 
alkaline-saline treatment, an important advance has been 
made in the demonstration — because calcium sulphide is 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 237 

not an antiseptic, its utility being due to its action as a 
lymph-glandular stimulant, and its influence in neutralizing 
acids which interfere with normal cellular activity. 

Organo-therapy. — Before proceeding further with our 
present study it will be interesting and instructive to con- 
sider the advantages offered by modern science in the 
treatment of boils, carbuncle, acne, and other purulent 
processes by means of bacterial vaccines. In explanation 
of this method, it should be stated that the bacteria used 
in preparing these vaccines are taken from the actual cases 
of the disease; that is, the original bacteria are isolated 
from the pus, grown upon cultures, and they are then used 
hypodermically for the treatment of suppurative conditions. 

Ordinarily, three separate injections are required in 
an average case, the initial dose being 100,000,000 to 
150,000,000. This is followed at intervals of six days by 
two more injections ranging from 200,000,000 to 250,000,000 
and 300,000,000 to 400,000,000 microorganisms, respectively. 
That is to say, the bacterial infection found in boils, abscesses, 
carbuncle, etc., is reproduced in the form of pure cultures, 
and in this condition they are introduced into the circulation 
at intervals of six days. 

In view of the time required together with the possibility 
of the system being in such a condition that there is no 
favorable reaction, it seems scarcely a promising method of 
treatment — at least, it looks so to the writer when curative 
effects may be secured in much less time, by simply com- 
plying with the directions given above respecting the 
cardinal principles to be observed. 

This claim is well illustrated in the case of a patient 
brought to my attention by a medical acquaintance who 
frequently called upon me socially, and occasionally asked 
for suggestions in regard to some difficult case. 

One day he told me about a patient, a lady, over SO years of 
age, who was then suffering from carbuncle, and he says, "Of 
course, she can't live. This has been going on now for two 
weeks. The carbuncle is located on the back just below the 



238 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

neck, and there are no less than fourteen openings, all of them 
showing decomposition." 

I said, "Doctor, you should adopt the following measures: 
Neutralize the acidity by alkaline-saline medication, stimulate 
the lymphatics, by means of calcium sulphide, and for local 
treatment use hydrogen superoxide in the form of a spray." 

The subject had passed from mind until a week later, when the 
doctor came bustling in, saying, "You done it! You done it!", 
and when asked for an explanation, he reported that the patient 
was rapidly recovering, and that the treatment had shown 
almost immediate results. 

Another physician of my acquaintance who was persuaded 
to take up with the suggestion, complained about the rapidity 
of improvement, and said he could hardly afford to treat 
patients like that. He said he was called some distance to 
see a case of carbuncle, and decided to adopt the plan as 
recommended. He told the patient that he would not return 
until the second day following, and at that time he found a 
cavity large enough to put a goose-egg in, but no further visits 
were required. 

CATARRH. 

Catarrh is substantially a suppurative process. Not only 
is it a predisposing factor in constitutional disorders, but it 
is frequently an exciting factor in many instances. Thus, 
nasal catarrh, by extension, may give rise to suppuration 
followed by deafness, or tonsillitis, with involvement of 
the kidneys, the heart or the appendix. Catarrh of the 
stomach or intestine leads to the absorption of poisonous 
substances which interfere with nerve function. So, 
catarrh of the uterus and bladder likewise develop their 
train of symptoms, and while these various catarrhs with 
their concomitants and symptoms are treated as entities, 
they are merely local manifestations of constitutional 
derangement. 

When systemic treatment is inaugurated, they disappear, 
provided this treatment includes medication to correct the 
chemic deviation — as well as the effects arising therefrom. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 239 

In other words, we must observe the three cardinal prin- 
ciples laid down. To do one thing and leave the others 
undone is not enough — we must neutralize acid excess, 
stimulate the lymph-glandular apparatus, and above all, we 
must remove the effects of chemic deviation, the constant 
and persistent complication in this class of cases. A brief 
summary of individual cases will prove helpful. 

Acute Catarrh. — When persons take "cold," they are said 
to suffer from acute catarrh. Even when a person is enjoy- 
ing perfect health, some exposure may result in causing 
congestion of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, 
and following tins congestion, we have absorption of poisons 
in the form of bacteria and their toxins. Still, acute catarrh 
is not a serious malady when the proper and necessary pre- 
cautions are taken to prevent the multiplication and absorp- 
tion of these toxins. For example, when bacteria find a 
suitable nidus or culture field in the nasal secretions, they 
multiply rapidly. This can be readily corrected by the 
employment of suitable local antiseptics, when the cold, or 
acute catarrh subsides. By means of the static electric 
machine, we can produce ozone, and when this is carried 
directly to the mucous lining of the nasal cavity, the cold 
disappears, a seance of five minutes being quite sufficient 
to effect a cure. 

In the case of chronic nasal catarrh, we have a constant 
source of irritation from the presence of bacteria and their 
toxins, and it is not unusual to find extension of the catarrh 
to the middle ear, producing deafness, temporary or per- 
manent. A case of this character recently came under 
observation. 

A young man, 26 years of age, has been under treatment for 
catarrh with deafness for the past three years. His physician 
has been making local applications of watery solutions to the 
nasal cavity as well as to the ear twice a week, without results. 
The patient thinks these local applications just the thing, and 
when I told him that they were unnecessary, he seemed rather 
disappointed. 



240 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Treatment of this case consisted in the employment of local 
antiseptics in oily solution with internal treatment for the 
purpose of correcting the effects of long continued chemic 
deviation, the salivary secretion being distinctly acid, and of 
course, the patient was given suitable directions in regard to 
diet. Beginning treatment, the hearing on the right ear was 
practically absent; on the left ear he could hear a watch at the 
distance of five inches. At the expiration of six weeks, this 
patient could hear a watch on the right ear at a distance of 
two inches, and the left ear was good for twenty-four inches. 

Bronchial Catarrh. — As a result of delayed, difficult, or 
impaired digestion, it frequently happens that a catarrhal 
condition develops. In the case of the bronchial apparatus, 
we may have catarrh with atrophy, or on the other hand, 
it may be characterized by more or less congestion with 
thickening — substantially a fibrosis. Under either condi- 
tion, we may trace a catarrhal process directly to acid excess 
arising from the indigestion, followed by magnesium infil- 
tration incident to the lime depletion, and as a rule, we are 
frequently confronted with distinct neurasthenic symptoms 
which fail to respond to the usual anodyne-hypnotic treat- 
ment. Neither will diet, and rest, and baths, and electricity, 
and foreign travel, and sleeping out-of-doors, and enemata 
and hill-climbing and water-cures, and a hundred other 
schemes serve to rehabilitate the condition of the patient — 
by reestablishing a healthy state of the digestive apparatus. 

This topic will be considered more in detail when dis- 
cussing intestinal catarrh, but we may take a glimpse of 
the situation in passing. Like nasal catarrh, bronchial 
catarrh is a coccus infection — and intestinal indigestion 
contributes largely to the debility, because during the 
intervals of digestion the lacteals are constantly taking up 
poisons (bacteria or their toxins), which are carried, through 
the medium of the thoracic duct, directly into the general 
circulation. 

In proof of this we have but to point to the recurrence of 
cough after eating — and the wiseacres will insist that the 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 241 

material expectorated comes from the stomach rather than 
from the bronchial tubes. They cannot comprehend the 
theory of physiologic equilibrium, that when digestion 
begins there is a current flowing into the stomach, and at the 
same time, an out-flowing current from the intestine, this 
out-flow from the intestine being carried directly into the 
circulation, when nature makes an effort to eliminate the 
toxins while the blood is passing through the pulmonary 
apparatus. Bronchial catarrh, therefore, demands atten- 
tion to the intestinal digestion as well as to the irritation 
set up in the bronchial tubes, but when bronchial catarrh 
has long continued, we have the magnesium infiltration to 
deal with as the complication. 

This is well illustrated in the case of a young man whom I 
treated for tuberculosis in the winter of 1903-04. At that 
time, he was 19 years of age, and had been under treatment for 
two years, and although his doctor sent his sputum to the 
Board of Health several times, he always failed to get a report. 
Being discouraged from the unsatisfactory results of treatment, 
the boy's mother went to the office, and found the records 
with a positive diagnosis. It was not a serious case, although 
the boy was anemic, and had the peculiar cachectic facies. 
Active treatment was begun, and an examination of the sputum 
seven days later proved negative, and a second examination 
three weeks after beginning treatment was also negative, and 
there were no further symptoms of tuberculosis, until four years 
later. He came to the office one day and said, "Well, I guess 
I am back in the old condition." He said he had been under 
treatment during the winter, and that the principal medication 
which he had consisted of Epsom salts. The cough and expec- 
toration were exceedingly unpromising factors, but I told him 
it would be necessary to have an examination of the sputum. 
Fortunately, this examination showed no tubercular bacilli, 
only coccus infection, and as it was a chronic ailment, treatment 
was conducted for the purpose of promoting magnesium disso- 
ciation, in addition to regulation of the diet, and in the course 
of a few weeks, all unfavorable symptoms disappeared, the 
16 



242 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

patient gained weight and strength and there has been no 
recurrence. 

Another case, similar in character, was that of a man over 
fifty years of age, who was satisfied that he had tuberculosis, 
but examination of the sputum showed that there were no 
tubercular bacilli. The same treatment was carried out in 
this case with very satisfactory results, except that longer 
time was required, owing to the fact that this patient had 
previously suffered from recurrent attacks of rheumatism, and 
acid excess was persistent, notwithstanding the continued 
employment of alkaline-saline medication. 

Summer catarrh, or autumnal fever, is almost universal — 
at least this is true of this section of the country, and from 
reports in current literature, I am inclined to believe that 
the same condition prevails throughout the United States. 
Nevertheless, it is a very fact that these cases of summer 
catarrh, or summer colds, as they are called, receive the 
same treatment as that which is employed during the winter 
months. In these cases the atmospheric conditions should 
be regarded as an exciting factor, and of course, in addition 
to this, we have the coccus infection, but usually the symp- 
toms disappear with the appearance of cold weather, and 
in my experience, even intelligent people must have recurrent 
attacks for several years before they are convinced, and 
insist upon the usual cough remedies for treatment. 

It would be foreign to my purpose to discuss more fully 
the subject of autumnal fever, because this would naturally 
lead to a discussion of the causative factors as well as the 
treatment of hay-asthma. 

Stomach catarrh is usually a secondary disorder. That is, 
it does not develop like catarrh affecting the mucous mem- 
branes generally, for the reason that the mucous membrane 
of the stomach is normally adapted to the acid reaction 
incident to digestion; hence, we find that many persons will 
suffer from intestinal indigestion long before the stomach 
makes complaint. Another reason lies in the natural dis- 
position of those who suffer from hyper-chloridia, to avoid 






COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 243 

meats, and live principally upon starchy foods. When 
they suffer from irritation of the stomach, gas, or water- 
brash, they resort to bicarbonate of soda, and since this 
relieves them temporarily, they feel they have accomplished 
something for their welfare, at the same time cheating the 
doctor. They do not realize that this bicarbonate of soda 
only adds to their misery, because the chlorin of the daily 
food combines with the sodium and lactic acid of the starchy 
foods to make more hydrochloric acid. 

As a rule, we find that catarrh of the stomach is usually 
overlooked, owing to derangement of the liver function as 
a result of the acid excess which leads to "biliousness," and 
not infrequently, jaundice, so that for all practical purposes, 
we may put forward the proposition that catarrh of the 
stomach as well as gastritis, acute, subacute and chronic, are 
all due to chemic deviation, and until we can correct or 
remove the effects of this chemic deviation, no progress 
will be made toward recovery. 

A word should be added relative to one very common 
condition attending catarrh of the stomach, distension or 
even dilatation, this being due to the obstruction in the 
circulation — we might say the stagnant or embarrassed 
condition of the circulation in the walls of the stomach, 
owing to the deranged liver function. The blood cannot 
"flow" from the walls of the stomach to the liver, that organ 
being unable to receive it. As a consequence, the blood 
passing through the walls of the stomach contains an insuffi- 
cient amount of pabulum to produce the proper digestive 
fluid together with the small percentage of hydrochloric 
acid. 

The result of this is that we have to deal with delayed 
digestion, and delayed digestion means decomposition with 
a rapid multiplication of bacteria, all of which produces 
more or less gas. The patient then complains of pain around 
the heart, and is treated for heart disease. In case, how- 
ever, there is a surplus development of hydrochloric acid 
(hyper-chloridia), the patient complains of water-brash, 
and thus the vicious circle is complete — gas or water-brash 



244 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

from catarrh of the stomach, and not infrequently, ulcer, 
and along with this, we have neurasthenia. How dangerous, 
then, the employment of peroxide of hydrogen, under the 
advice of an amateur, to produce more gas with rapid 
oxidation, leading to rupture of the walls of the stomach. 
It is on a par with administering separately the two parts 
of a Seidlitz powder. 

The following case will illustrate the futility and short- 
comings of the most approved neurologic treatment carried 
on for a period of ten years: 

The patient, a gentleman, 62 years of age, engaged in mer- 
cantile business where large financial deals are the rule, has 
become very despondent in consequence of failure in the diges- 
tive capacity. While this patient is not emaciated, he looks 
careworn and is prematurely aged, and notwithstanding various 
experiments regarding diet, including also an exclusive milk 
diet, it seems impossible for him to regain strength, so that 
his step will be firm and his movements characterized by the 
buoyancy which he would like to possess. An examination of 
the tongue showed that this organ was small and white, but 
not coated, indicating anemia, but he told me that ferru- 
ginous medication had utterly failed to produce appreciable 
benefit. 

Further investigation, together with an urinary examina- 
tion, led to the conclusion that this man was suffering from 
premature calcification along with atrophy affecting the gastro- 
intestinal tract, and treatment, aromatic sulphuric acid, 
apparently confirmed the diagnosis, as the patient showed 
immediate and marked improvement, and in a few days had 
regained his normal condition, except, of course, that he had 
not increased much in weight. 

Unfortunately, this patient manifested distinct neurasthenic 
symptoms — in desiring to take an active part in the treatment, 
but as we could not agree on that score, treatment was dis- 
continued. I hear from him occasionally, when he requests 
the prescription renewed for the medicine which he thought 
produced the most apparent benefit — the oxgall combination. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 245 

A case which well illustrates the manifestations incident 
to " biliousness" came under observation in 1907: 

One of my patients living at a distance, asked me to prescribe 
for his sister, " suffering from biliousness and the general effects 
of a slow liver," giving the following information: "The prin- 
cipal trouble from which she is now suffering is " tremulousness," 
which has so much increased in the past year that she is scarcely 
able to use her hands at all. All of my brothers and sisters 
suffer from it, and it grows worse as they grow older. My 
sister being about 70 years old, I fear it cannot be checked. 
It is with much difficulty that she can dress herself, or even 
comb her hair. Otherwise, she has a good constitution and her 
appetite is good. 

"If you think anything can be done to ameliorate her 
malady, I would be rejoiced to have you prescribe for her." 

Treatment of this patient consisted in the employment of 
calcium iodide, in small doses together with the alkaline- 
saline medication already described, and resulted in a 
complete cure, not only of the biliousness from which she 
suffered as a result of chronic indigestion, but also from 
the "tremulousness." 

Intestinal Catarrh. — In studying the symptoms and causa- 
tive factors responsible for intestinal catarrh, we must bear 
in mind nature's provision against this acid excess, which we 
have put forward as the dominating factor in producing 
magnesium infiltration. I refer, of course, to the acid mucus, 
which is the normal secretion of all the mucous membranes; 
and in addition to this, we must bear in mind that for all 
practical purposes the mucous membrane is continuous, and 
hence, there is necessarily, a sympathetic influence — that is, 
where we have catarrh of one mucous membrane such as 
that of the nasal cavity, we are almost certain to have a 
corresponding disorder involving the mucous membrane 
elsewhere. In the case of intestinal catarrh, the conditions 
are somewhat different, from the fact that we can trace 
catarrh in other mucous membranes directly to the disordered 
condition of the intestinal tract. 



246 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

The symptoms of intestinal catarrh are so numerous and 
varied that it would be unprofitable to undertake a system- 
atic exposition of their peculiar manifestations, so in the 
present instance, an effort will be made to point out some 
of those most prominent, at the same time, indicating their 
significance. In the first place, it should be understood that 
intestinal catarrh is a part and parcel of constitutional 
derangement, because when we undertake a critical investi- 
gation of the various questions, we are brought back to 
the intestinal tract as the centre of radiation. 

The fact is that nutrition depends upon the integrity of 
the intestinal digestion, and therefore, we can understand 
how fruitless will be our efforts to correct the disorders 
of the intestine due to hyper-chloridia. Add to this, the 
presence of bacteria as a factor, not only liable, but likely 
to be taken into the general circulation, together with their 
toxins, during the intervals of digestion, and we can readily 
understand how this may affect not only the mucous mem- 
brane of the stomach, but practically the mucous tissue 
of the entire body. Thus, these mucous tissues are notably 
vascular, that is, they contain numerous vessels, arteries, 
capillaries, veins, and lymphatics, and when the mucous 
membrane of the nasal cavity is exposed to irritation from 
without, we can understand how nasal catarrh is likely 
to be one of the first, if not the central manifestation of 
disordered intestinal digestion. 

Again, we must consider the disorders of the liver as a 
factor in producing intestinal catarrh, because this organ 
is particularly if not especially engaged in neutralizing 
poisons which may find their way into the circulation. For 
example, if the bile is not regularly discharged, there is 
failure in digestion of fats, and this is followed by decom- 
position, with the formation of various poisons or toxins, 
so that nerve sensation is obtunded, leading to impaction, 
or even obstruction of the bowel. 

One of the most important factors connected with intes- 
tinal catarrh relates to the "sluggish" condition of the 
lymph-glandular apparatus, and here an explanation might 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 247 

be offered. For instance, it will be said that if the lymph- 
glandular apparatus, the lymph vessels and the glands, are 
in a sluggish condition, they will not be likely to carry 
poisons from the intestinal tract, but the contrary is true. 
This is due to the fact that when lymph alkalescence is 
diminished, glandular activity is lessened, and consequently, 
there is a paucity of lymphocytes, the white blood corpuscles, 
which it is the function of these glands to produce. 

Another factor is constipation, and from the preceding 
remarks, the reader will readily comprehend the conditions 
responsible for this symptom — diminished alkalescence of 
the body fluids and tissues, together with depletion of the 
lime content and the consecutive formation of magnesium 
nucleo-proteids which lack the property of imbibition 
(absorption). This finds a remarkable illustration in the 
case of sudden attacks, and even in chronic cases of appen- 
dicitis. There is a catarrhal condition of the bowel, together 
with an excessive bacterial flora, along with constipation, 
with distension, or even dilatation; the lymph vessels will 
fail to counteract, neutralize or interfere with the absorption 
of poisons or toxins — and the result is suppuration, which 
demands immediate operation. 

There is no doubt but that many persons with intestinal 
indigestion court a visit to the hospital for removal of the 
appendix, simply because they have this hyperacidity, with 
the magnesium infiltration. An interesting case of this 
character came under observation some years ago, and will 
serve to confirm the claims here set forth. 

The subject was a man, 45 years of age, a hard-working 
blacksmith, and seemed to take pride in reporting that he had 
had two attacks of catarrhal appendicitis, and that the doctor 
told him he must go to the hospital for an operation when the 
next one occurred. And yet, with the most simple remedial 
measures this patient made a rapid recovery, gained weight 
and strength, and although quite a number of years have 
elapsed, he has not yet been compelled to take the proposed 
hospital trip — because he has enjoyed perfect health, and what 



248 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

is more to the point, he has learned how to regulate his diet, 
and thus avoid intestinal indigestion. 

And this brings us to the most important question relating 
to intestinal catarrh. The great difficulty lies in the lack 
of digestive capacity in the intestinal tract, and sad to say 
our present mode of living but adds fuel to the flame. 

While taking lunch with a gentleman several years ago 
(1905), he told me with some degree of pride that he had suffered 
twenty-nine years from intestinal trouble, the attacks coming 
on at the most unexpected moments. In detail, I was permitted 
to learn the circumstances attending these attacks, when 
several hours would be occupied rolling about on the office- 
floor, notwithstanding the fact that a mixture of laudanum 
and chloroform was "handy" in one vest-pocket, and a box 
of codeine tablets in the other. 

Asked about his habits regarding breakfast, he said he was 
very careful about his breakfast, and seemed greatly surprised 
that his trouble began at the breakfast table. "Sloppy" foods 
were positively interdicted and a dry diet insisted upon, liquids 
to be taken only at the end of the meal. Medication consisted 
in the conjoint administration of calcium sulphide and copper 
arsenite in small doses, and as a result, nearly all the symptoms 
had disappeared within three days, and although the medicine 
has been but rarely employed since, there has been no actual 
recurrence. 

The magnesium infiltration in this case evidently affected 
a small loop of the intestine and had given rise to more or 
less catarrh and possibly adhesions, but the simple treatment 
recommended proved entirely successful in correcting the 
disorder. 

General Remarks on Mucous Catarrh. — Having now shown 
why and how suppuration occurs, it will be in order to 
consider briefly a number of the forms or varieties of catarrh, 
together with suggestions relating to treatment. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 249 

Catarrhal inflammation of a mucous surface is characterized 
by a fluid exudation consisting of mucus, leucocytes and 
desquamated epithelial cells in varying proportions, the 
affected area being red, swollen, and bathed by the exudate. 

In the case of catarrh of the bladder, which generally pro- 
duces sufficient irritation to be designated cystitis, the first 
and most important difficulty to correct is the hyperacidity, 
because this produces an irritation of the delicate mucous 
membrane. Next in order, we have to take into considera- 
tion the dangers arising from intestinal catarrh or intestinal 
indigestion, because as has been pointed out, the intestinal 
catarrh leads to the absorption of poisons or toxins. 

Catarrh of the bladder may occur under two different forms, 
acute and chronic. A case of the acute variety came under 
observation early in my professional career and the "cure" was 
so rapid that the patient's friends doubted that he had been sick, 
and his employers were suspicious that he was a malingerer. 
This patient, a man about 35 years of age, had been taken ill 
Saturday morning, and had to be carried home. The doctor 
in attendance prescribed the usual remedies during the day 
Saturday and on Sunday, but there was no relief afforded even 
from anodynes, and I was called in consultation. It was learned 
that the man's occupation was that of a driver. He was hauling 
damp saw-dust on a cold day in an open wagon, and sitting 
on the load, and of course, this had the effect of chilling the 
bladder and causing the congestion. 

A consultation occurred between nine and ten o'clock Monday 
morning, and the treatment recommended consisted in hot 
sitz-baths, either continuous or at short intervals. As a result 
of treatment, he was ready to go to work in the afternoon, and 
waved a salutation as he passed me a little after one o'clock. 

In chronic cases, especially in advanced age, we have a 
more serious problem to deal with owing to the acidity, the 
sluggish condition of the lymphatics, together with thicken- 
ing, and to this should be added involvement of the nerve 
supply by the magnesium deposits. However, the difficulties 



250 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

are not insuperable, provided attention has been given to 
the dietary, along with medication to counteract the hyper- 
acidity. 

In the case of women, it is not unusual to have catarrh 
of the bladder as a result of the relaxed condition of the 
pelvic tissues, and of course, we have the magnesium 
infiltration to contend with, because that is essentially the 
effect which has followed long continued acid excess. Relax- 
ation of the pelvic tissues gives rise to displacement or pro- 
lapsus of the uterus, and this organ being attached to the 
bladder, causes more or less displacement, so that it is not 
properly emptied. As a consequence, we have ammoniacal 
decomposition together with thickening and painful con- 
tractions of the organ. 

In all these instances, there can be no doubt of the advan- 
tages arising from irrigation as well as from internal medi- 
cation conducted for the purpose of promoting an antiseptic 
condition of the cavity, and as temporary expedients, they 
are of distinct value, but they do not afford permanency. 
This can be secured only through the means and medication 
already indicated — neutralizing acid excess, counteracting 
the tendency to suppuration, and promoting magnesium 
dissociation. 

Uterine Catarrh. — While a discussion upon uterine catarrh 
may seem like trenching on the surgeon's domain, neverthe- 
less, the information to be acquired therefrom is quite as 
valuable to the surgeon after an abdominal operation, as it 
promises to be for the physician as a prophylactic — if he 
would use it. Studied from a mechanical viewpoint we can 
readily understand the favorable conditions for displacement, 
and when to this is added the certainty of consecutive physi- 
ologic derangements, the frequency of uterine catarrh is no 
longer a mystery. In addition to this, however, we must 
consider the peculiarity of its functional activity together 
with the known sympathetic susceptibility to the catarrhal 
process. 

Unlike the heart, the stomach, the kidneys, the spleen, 
also the pulmonary apparatus, all of them organs in constant 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 251 

activity, the uterus remains practically dormant at least 
half the time. During the period of functional activity 
incident to the menstrual molimen, there is active, followed 
by passive, congestion, and with impairment in the lymph- 
glandular apparatus, due to acid excess, there is always more 
or less inflammatory reaction — with exudation. With 
defective oxidation, the exudate becomes a centre of irrita- 
tion, and may possibly give rise to the development of 
fibroid tissue. As a result, fibroid tissue grows, or repro- 
duces itself just like normal tissue, and thus we begin to 
penetrate the genesis as well as the pathology of fibroid 
tumors — and besides, we can realize or understand why 
fibroids do not involve the other organs mentioned as they 
do the uterus. 

Perhaps it should be added that fibrosis or thickening 
does affect the lungs, as in fibroid tuberculosis. A condition 
similar to this may involve the liver (cirrhosis), and also the 
kidneys, in the form of contracted kidney, but the causative 
factors are not essentially different — acid excess with mag- 
nesium infiltration as the complication — and the principles 
apply with equal force in myxedema, cardiac hypertrophy, 
arterio-sclerosis and arthritis deformans. 

The record of a typical case of this character (uterine 
catarrh) will suffice to show the special and peculiar features 
to be observed in such instances, demonstrating at the same 
time the efficiency and simplicity of the treatment advocated. 

The patient, a married woman, 27 years of age, had separated 
from her husband, being convinced that she had contracted 
venereal disease from him. She had been so unfortunate as 
to take a course of treatment at the hands of an irregular 
practitioner, who encouraged her in the delusion — for such it 
proved to be, as an examination of the vaginal secretions for 
gonococcus showed negative results. 

Subjective symptoms included insomnia, "nervousness," 
constipation, more or less constant pain in the region of the left 
ovary, while dysmenorrhea was pronounced. Objectively, we 
had well marked neurasthenia with acid excess, the local pain 



252 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

and dysmenorrhea being due to slight displacement and pressure 
upon the ovary, but the lower segment of the uterus had taken 
on a hardening process — probably as a consequence of derange- 
ment of function incident to displacement. There was no 
organic trouble, the patient was well nourished, and appeared 
to be in perfect health. 

With the assistance of a sympathetic and efficient nurse, 
treatment was begun immediately following the menstrual 
period — internally, in accordance with the plan previously 
outlined. Locally, mechanic stimulus (dilatation), together 
with support (tampons), and position, not omitting antiseptic 
douches, and as a result, the next period was absolutely painless 
— it appeared unawares. 

Leucorrhea. — In view of the wide range taken in this dis- 
cussion, it seems scarcely worth while to offer any sugges- 
tions relative to leucorrhea, its cause or cure, for the reason 
that it is but one link in the chain. A note should be added, 
however, that nature provides a measure of immunity against 
leucorrhea — in the form of a vaginal bacterial flora mutually 
antagonistic. 

Prostatorrhea. — A catarrhal condition of the prostate gland, 
chronic enlargement occurring in elderly men as a result of 
magnesium infiltration with lymph-stasis, is a malady which 
should not be overlooked in this connection. As a matter 
of fact, this particular disorder is rapidly increasing, and 
such cases naturally fall into the hands of the surgeon, 
simply because the physician does not understand the 
pathology — and for that matter, neither does the surgeon, 
since the demand for surgical interference is rare. A case 
of chronic prostatorrhea, which came under observation 
nearly ten years ago, will serve as an illustration. 

The patient, a man 62 years of age, a farmer in poor circum- 
stances, had been confined to bed for three weeks or more from 
a severe attack of influenza (la grippe). He had a physician in 
daily attendance, but as he made no progress and the family 
were exhausted in attending upon him, his son made an ap- 
pointment for a consultation Sunday morning. Arriving a little 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 253 

before the doctor's expected call, and being acquainted with 
the family, I took the liberty of making an examination, taking 
the temperature, pulse-rate and respiration, all of which was 
explained to the medical attendant on his arrival, and excused, 
owing to the limited time between trains. 

In order to lessen friction, I merely suggested certain changes 
in the treatment. For example, I did not think favorably of 
giving quinine, iron and strychnine when the tongue was badly 
coated and the bowels constipated. Moreover, I expressed 
my disapproval of a pint of whiskey daily, and this was the 
last straw. The doctor arose in a huff, and marched off uncere- 
moniously, saying that he would discontinue his visits, and 
I might take the patient. Unfortunately, this placed me in a 
serious predicament, because I had no license to practice in 
the State. However, I prescribed for the patient, the principal 
medication being the alkaline-saline treatment to counteract 
the excessive acidity, together with calcium sulphide, to stimu- 
late the lymph-glandular apparatus. As a result of this treat- 
ment, the patient sat up in bed Tuesday morning, and had a 
substantial breakfast, and at the end of the week, he was able 
to be up and dressed so that recovery was uneventful. 

The object in presenting this case is to develop the advan- 
tages of treatment in the case of prostatorrhea, a disorder from 
which the patient suffered as a result of army exposure, which 
his medical attendant had failed to benefit during the previous 
ten years — it all disappeared following the treatment just 
outlined, and I first learned of its presence a year or so later. 

Intestinal Adhesions. — Following abdominal operations, 
there is always more or less plastic inflammation involving 
the serous membranes which cover or invest the abdominal 
viscera (organs). It is a rare occurrence for any operation 
to be performed without more or less distension with arrest 
of the intestinal secretions, requiring enemata to secure 
bowel movements, or in case these are not practical, the 
usual plan is to administer Epsom salts. In addition to 
this complication, it is not unusual to have a sympathetic 
involvement of the kidneys with anuria, arresting the 



254 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

functional activity, in which case the dangers from uremic 
poison are imminent. This is especially true in the case of 
operations where there is either kidney disorder or diabetes; 
hence, the importance of this inquiry. 

Plastic inflammation differs but slightly from catarrhal 
inflammation — there is a modified, serum along with leu- 
cocytes, and at times erythrocytes, which escape from the 
vessels, and this exudate, containing as it does the mother 
fibrin ferment which acts upon the fibrinogen, thereby 
producing fibrin, and this it is which causes adhesions 
between contiguous structures. Under favorable conditions, 
as previously stated, this plastic exudate may break down 
and be absorbed, when the adhesions disappear, but in case 
it does not break down, it will give rise to new tissue, fibro- 
connective tissue, and thus more or less permanent adhesions 
may result. 

However, it is not unusual to have peritonitis without 
an abdominal operation, and this likewise may give rise to 
intestinal adhesions of the character just described. Again, 
it is possible to have a localized plastic inflammation either 
following abdominal operation, or as a result of undeveloped 
general peritonitis. We will suppose, for instance, that 
there is uterine displacement, pressure upon the ovary, and 
as a result of plastic inflammation adhesions are formed 
involving the appendix; or let us say, the structures which 
cover the uterus and lower bowel. 

Should fibro-connective tissue develop, it would be neces- 
sary to have a secondary operation, but as previously pointed 
out, these intestinal adhesions being due to acid excess com- 
plicated by magnesium infiltration, they can be avoided, 
because we know that this fibro-connective tissue will not 
develop under normal conditions. Under ordinary circum- 
stances, when the proper and necessary precautions have 
been taken to secure alkalescence of the body fluids and 
tissues, the operation may be done without fear of intestinal 
adhesions, whatever plastic inflammation may arise being 
absorbed by the lymph-glandular apparatus, when its 
integrity is maintained. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 255 

This is well illustrated in the case of a nurse, neurasthenic in 
a marked degree, who had just recovered from an operation 
for appendicitis, and was waiting a reasonable time to recuper- 
ate so that she could have another operation done for removal 
of the adhesions existing between the uterus and the lower 
bowel, this contretemps having developed as a result of the 
operation. At the earnest solicitation of her mother and 
relatives, I was over-persuaded to advise treatment, which 
consisted in alkaline-saline medication together with calcium 
sulphide, and two weeks later, when the surgeon said she was 
in a suitable physical condition to bear the second operation, he 
found by examination that the symptoms had all disappeared. 

Another case, similar in character, was that of a married 
lady, about 35 years of age, who had submitted to local treat- 
ment for a year or more, and finally her medical attendant 
told her that the retroversion of the uterus was so pronounced, 
and the adhesions so firm that it would be impossible to afford 
relief without an operation. In this case precisely the same 
treatment was adopted, and in addition, the patient was 
advised to adopt a system of exercise which would tend to 
correct the displacement, and thus aid the medical treatment, 
and as a result, all symptoms disappeared, and there was no 
demand for an operation. 



INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 

It is now well known that infectious diseases are due to 
the presence of bacteria and their toxins, but it has escaped 
the attention of physicians that infectious disease is always 
attended with surplus acidity, due to defective oxidation — 
the body cells being unable to functionate. As a result of 
this chemic deviation, a complication supervenes — there 
are certain definite and demonstrable chemic changes 
taking place in the inorganic constituents of the tissues, 
which interfere with the functional activity of the cellular 
structures, including nerve cells. 

Taking typhoid fever as an illustration, a disease due to a 



256 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

pathogenic microorganism, the bacillus typhosus, and we 
can study to advantage the nature of bacterial invasion. 

Bacteria. — Intestinal bacteria are conveniently divided 
into three groups or divisions, namely, fermentative, chro- 
mogenic and pathogenic. Those which give rise to fermenta- 
tion do not disturb the normal cellular structures, unless 
putrefaction becomes excessive, since they all form pep- 
tones, dextrose and fatty acids, besides breaking up poison- 
ous principles, such as choline, into simpler bodies. Chromo- 
genic or color-producing bacteria are merely incidental and 
have nothing to do with disease, while pathogenic bacteria 
are the real, actual producers of disease. 

Ptomains and Leucomains. — Similar in respect to their 
poisonous action upon the living tissues should be mentioned 
leucomains, alkaloidal or nitrogenous basic substances 
formed within the living tissues as a result of normal metab- 
olism — as distinguished from ptomains, septic or toxic 
alkaloidal substances formed in dead bodies, from decom- 
position and disintegration of albuminous material. 

Ptomains are " transition products in the process of putre- 
faction," (putrefactive alkaloids), each ptomain is produced 
by a different microorganism, but the activity of bacteria 
depends upon the media in which they grow. Thus, a 
person may suffer at times from ptomain poisoning after 
eating fish, oysters, eggs, milk, cheese, ice-cream, sausage, 
canned meats, etc., while at other times, no untoward 
symptoms arise. And besides, all ptomains are not poi- 
sonous, and further, under favorable conditions, a degree 
of "tolerance" may be established, as in the case of persons 
who develop a penchant for "high" game — an illustration of 
an interesting phase in the artificial production of immunity, 
by the introduction into the body of living or dead bacteria 
or their products. Indeed, it has been suggested that the 
pathogenic action of bacteria may be directly associated 
with their production of ptomains, and as previously pointed 
out, these bacteria thrive best in a media containing magnesia 
in excess, the actual condition in sickness or debility from 
any cause; hence, medication is clearly indicated to correct 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 257 

or overcome this deviation, second in importance only to 
the employment of appropriate remedies to neutralize the 
poison. 

The functions of bacteria include all the properties 
characteristic of life, namely, nutrition, excretion, repro- 
duction, motility and response to stimuli, and as products 
we have ferments, toxins, phosphorescence, pigments and 
acids or alkalies. 

Microbic digestion, also a factor in typhoid fever, is an 
important function taking place in the lower part of the 
small intestine and also in the large intestine, resulting in 
the formation of numerous putrefactive products, such as 
carbon dioxide, hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide, indol, skatol, 
phenol, methane, leucin, tyrosin, butyric acid, valerianic 
acid, trymethylamine, etc., so that the absorption of poi- 
sons through the medium of the lacteals is more or less 
constant. With a "sluggish" condition of the lymph- 
glandular apparatus, therefore, we can account for the 
persistence of the disease, and also for the tendency to 
suppuration, all of which could be mitigated and the period 
materially shortened by adopting the principles here set 
forth — and that too, without regard to the pathogenic 
microorganism in respect to antidotal medication. 

This suggestion naturally brings forward various questions 
relating to the employment of antitoxins and symbiosis, 
but that subject is foreign to the purpose of this work. 
Sufficient evidence has been offered, it is believed, to show 
beyond question that diminished alkalescence of the body 
fluids and tissues is the dominating factor in infectious 
disease, often leading to suppuration, and that as a result 
of this chemic deviation, we have magnesium infiltration 
as the complication. The analogy of bacterial invasion in 
typhoid fever can be shown in pneumonia, influenza, diph- 
theria, scarlet fever and smallpox, but it would be a work of 
supererogation, merely a repetition of the demonstration 
of Locke's proposition that the three angles of a triangle 
are equal to two right angles. 

17 



THE COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL 

MALADIES— Concluded. 

Jaundice — (Clinical Reports). 

Skin Diseases — Alternation of Diseases — Clinical Reports on 
Eczema and Psoriasis — Conclusion. 

Tonsillitis — Acid Excess — Anodynes — Hypnotics — Antiseptics — 
Antipyretics — Sudorifics — Arterial Sedatives — Topical Applications 
— Schema of Treatment (Tabulation) — Direct — Susceptibility — Collat- 
eral : Fever, Congestion and Restlessness — Pain, Headache or Nausea 
and Vomiting — Local Antiseptics — Suppuration — General and Hygienic 
Treatment. 

Appreciating the difficulties attending the presentation 
of complete proofs in a mere sketch, a final chapter on the 
"Complication" is added. Nowadays, a proposition and 
demonstration are not sufficient, even following the dictum 
of Aristotle, to make "fact the basis of theory," although 
confirmed in the words of Virgil — "All of these things I 
saw, and part of them I was." The evidence brought 
forward to establish an innovation must be cumulative 
and harmonious, psychic as well as physiologic and chemic. 
There is a legend which makes Hegel say, "One man has 
understood me, and even he has not," thus presenting an 
analogy between himself and Pestalozzi, who had to write 
one book after another, each in an effort to explain or eluci- 
date the teachings of the one preceding. And while Pesta- 
lozzi's methods were rather primitive and utterly lacking in 
systematic adjustment, they contained the seed or germ 
which, when cultivated, has proven a boon to modern civili- 
zation — and future generations. One of his biographers 
(Holman), says of the original work {Leonard and Gertrude, 
A Booh for the People, 1781): 

"The book has many passages of great eloquence, exquisite 
pathos, manly moralizing, sparkling wit, dramatic intensity, 
riotous humor, fine character sketches, and charming incidents, 
in spite of its want of plot and great diffuseness." 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 259 

As intimated, the disorders discussed, have been selected 
with a view to securing symmetry and completeness in 
demonstrating the proposition that acid excess arising from 
intestinal indigestion and faulty assimilation is responsible 
for the complication designated magnesium infiltration. 
And the contention is that the results of treatment confirm 
the theory or working hypothesis. In the case of jaundice, 
for example, we are liable to have various forms of skin 
disease; when skin disease is the dominant malady, how- 
ever, we are not likely to have either jaundice or tonsillitis, 
because the skin takes on a vicarious function in the line 
of excretion — incident to the acid excess. On the other 
hand, tonsillitis and rheumatism, being due to substantially 
the same cause, usually go together or make their appear- 
ance in alternation, but when the acid "habit" is corrected, 
both disappear — the law of compensation? The subject 
of tonsillitis is considered more fully than the others, not 
only because of its prevalence, but more especially for the 
reason that it supplies an apt and forcible illustration of 
these teachings. 



JAUNDICE. 

Like many other disorders, jaundice may be considered 
a local affection, that is, confined to the liver and due 
to some occult derangement of function which favors or 
permits the re-absorption of bile. When regarded as a 
nervous affection, we can point to magnesium infiltration 
involving the nerve mechanism — which interferes with the 
normal functional activity of the cells comprising its struc- 
ture. Again, when we observe the marked constitutional 
effects attending jaundice, we incline to believe that it 
must be a constitutional malady — and this is true when we 
understand how it is merely a local manifestation of con- 
stitutional derangement. Why it is so, will not be discussed, 
the following clinical reports being offered to show the 
manner of its occurrence: 



260 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

I was asked to see a lady, 62 years of age, who had suffered 
for several months from recurrent attacks of jaundice. I was 
not expected to prescribe, nor was I asked in consultation, and 
the husband merely wanted my professional advice as to the 
feasibility and necessity for an operation for removal of the 
gall-bladder. 

An examination of the liver and gall-bladder together with 
the abdominal viscera disclosed no evidence of gall-stones, but 
marked dilatation of the stomach with involvement of the 
common duct (ductus communis choledicus), and of course, 
I was compelled to reject an operation, telling the patient that 
a successful operation would demand removal of the stomach. 

For treatment, I recommended the oxgall combination and 
a strictly dry diet, the alkaline-saline treatment along with 
calcium iodide being employed later, and as a matter of fact, 
the patient never had another attack of jaundice, and I taught 
her besides, how to avoid attacks of nausea, as follows : At my 
first visit, the patient was lying on the left side, and unable to 
raise her head because of the nausea and dizziness which fol- 
lowed. I prescribed a small dose of copper arsenite followed by 
a large quantity of hot water, and advised the patient to lie on 
the right side, and as a result of this treatment, she was up and 
dressed and on the street within half an hour. She afterwards 
told me that she was very suspicious of the tablets and skeptical 
about the advantage of lying on the right side, thinking that 
I had administered morphine in some form, as was the custom 
of her regular attendant, and she was surprised but no less 
pleased to think that she didn't have to spend the remainder 
of the day in bed. 

A letter from a clergyman, 58 years of age, gives a very 
complete history and description of jaundice as follows :, 

"About 14 years ago I had an acute attack of stomach 
trouble intercepting the normal function of the liver. It 
puzzled our local physicians for a correct diagnosis of the case, 
but after a four years' treatment as prescribed by my physician, 
frequent use of the stomach tube, strict diet, and judicious 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 261 

exercise, I recovered, and for the past ten years considered 
myself a well man. 

"During the winter months of 1910, I was troubled with 
repeated colds, which caused recurrent attacks of stomach 
trouble accompanied by jaundice. In the beginning of April, I 
had rather a severe attack of this kind, and at present I am 
confined to my bed with a similar attack, but with a greater 
severity and stubbornness to yield to medical treatment. 
The complexion of my entire body, as well as my urine is as 
yellow as gold, which might lead the uncivilized to suspect to 
find in the human body a mine of gold. 

" My local physician is a very fair-minded man, and aims to 
do justice to his patients. He desired that I should be thor- 
oughly examined by a physician who makes a special study of 
disorders of the stomach and liver. 

"Since I am personally acquainted with you, I would like 
you to make arrangements at your earliest convenience for a 
consultation. My local physician will be present, and he can 
explain my condition together with the line of treatment 
followed a great deal better than I can." 

In reply, to the above communication, I wrote briefly 
putting the information in such shape that he could show 
the letter to his medical attendant, and indicated a con- 
venient time for the proposed consultation. Perhaps it 
will be interesting to the reader if at least a portion of this 
communication is reproduced, as follows: 

"After reading your letter, I am under the impression that 
you are suffering from recurrent attacks of jaundice, but of 
course, there is a possibility that you may have gall-stones as 
a complication. In the matter of treatment, I should first 
make an effort to correct the jaundice, and this will measurably 
clear up the question relating to gall-stones; at least, it will 
enable us to determine with greater certainty, whether or not 
gall-stones are present. 

" I am sending you the necessary medicines for this purpose. 
You should take a light diet, two of the tablets (5 grains succin- 



262 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

ate of soda), immediately before meals, and one teaspoonful 
of the alkaline-saline in about a half goblet of water at room 
temperature every two hours, beginning at least one hour 
before breakfast. This treatment should show decided results 
at the end of three days." 

However, the consultation did not take place, as a letter 
from the patient's daughter, dated a few days later, counter- 
manded the request. She says: 

"On Sunday my father was taken very sick and he is now 
under treatment. He was examined by two hospital surgeons 
and three physicians. They have him under treatment, and he 
is attended by a nurse, doing as well as can be expected. As 
soon as he has sufficiently recovered he will come and see you 
personally." 

Continuing the record, a communication dated at a sea-side 
resort, was as follows : 

"I have been very sick, but escaped death, although I am 
not as yet out of danger. 

"About ten days ago I came to this place. I expect to get 
to Philadelphia next Friday evening and on Saturday I will 
call on you to diagnose my case. 

"I desire a thorough examination — nothing is to be left 
undone, and if you think I ought to go to a hospital, I will do 
so, although I will not be able to pay much. I would submit 
the following in regard to my ailments to aid you in making 
the diagnosis: 

" About eight weeks ago I was suddenly taken sick. I became 
as yellow as an orange. My local physicians became alarmed, 
and differed as to the cause of jaundice. Two surgeons were 
called in; one diagnosed the case as gall-stones; the other as an 
obstruction of the gall-duct caused by viscid bile. It seems 
that the latter was correct, because the ducts were opened by 
hot packs and medicine. 

"Under the care of a trained nurse, I improved so far that 
at present I am able to be about, but the following is my present 
condition : 



COMPLICATIOX IX CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 263 

(1) "Liver very sluggish and torpid; stool, light color, and at 
times a pain around the liver; often pain in back and shoulders, 
still a little jaundice on body. 

(2) "Stomach very sensitive and rebellious — stomach was 
very bad before the jaundice appeared. I often have cramps 
and colic; these become so severe and are so persistent that 
nothing but morphine hypodermics afford relief. While here, 
I had a few stomach attacks and called on an old doctor for 
relief, and he gave me a mixture of his own for stomach trouble. 
The doctor said, 'You stay right here and take the medicine, 
and we will watch what it will do for you.' After half an hour, 
the medicine gave me severe pain — there was a severe struggle 
— after that the pain subsided and I got relief. 

(3) " Bowels: Three or four weeks ago they were very sluggish, 
constipated, etc., and the nurse had trouble to keep them open. 
Now, my bowels are almost too loose; they move three or four 
times a day, and stool is not formed, very watery. Sometimes 
I think that a growth is somewhere interfering with the function 
of my liver. My kidneys seem to be all right." 

As a result of the examination which took place, I found 
some dilatation of the stomach, passive congestion of the 
liver, with engorgement of the bile-ducts, more or less pain, 
or a sense of dulness being found in the liver region. There 
was no pain referred to the back, but the skin was consider- 
ably discolored, while the salivary secretion was distinctly 
acid. It turned blue litmus paper pink. Placing a strip 
of wet litmus paper between the thumb and finger, the acid 
reaction was pronounced — it was scarlet in color. 

Without a desire to boast, it is a singular fact that I 
prescribed at this visit, the identical treatment recommended 
by mail seven weeks previously, succinate of soda, the 
alkaline-saline — and to relieve the attacks of pain, copper 
arsenite, yiu grain was added. 

As a result of the above treatment, the attacks of colic 
disappeared; in fact, he never had a single attack after beginning 
treatment. At the second visit, ten days later, while waiting 
in the office, he made up the following memorandum: 



2)34 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

(1) "Stomach and Bowels: Improved — have no cramps — 
appetite good — stools, two and three times a day, irregular — 
color, irregular; coated lips and mouth — no gain in weight — 
(the illness had reduced the weight over 40 poun<; 

(2) " Liver: Dull pains, especially near the back — this requires 
attention. When I reach up or bend over,, I have pain. 

(3) "Kidneys: Pain across the back — must labor to start a 
discharge of urine — often eight or nine times in twenty-four 
hours. Urine often colorless. Legs, languid and painful — 
unpleasant feeling in the feet — a sudden stitch of pain, often 
two or three times a day in my head." 

For all practical purposes, the symptoms may be regarded 
merely as evidences of the debility following a severe attack 
of Jaundice, and as a matter of course, we must depend 
upon nutrition — there are no medicinal remedies which will 
produce miraculous effects. The alkaline-saline treatment 
was discontinued, and the patient had instead the hepatin 
tablet together with the copper arsenate as before, and as 
a result, a report was received under date of September 1, 
as follows: 

" My medicine is about all gone. My appetite is good. I have 
gained eleven pounds in weight, but the pain in my liver near 
the back is becoming more distinct. I especially called your 
attention to this at the last visit." 

Following this report, the patient was advised to resume the 
succinate of soda together with the alkaline-saline, and appar- 
ently everything went along swimmingly, as no further reports 
were received until his office visit, six weeks later. At this 
time, the saliva was again distinctly acid, the reaction of the 
skin scarlet red and knee-jerk absent; the pulse-rate was 60 
beats per minute and normal; the patient complained of almost 
constant frontal headache; he also walked lame, owing to 
involvement of the sciatic nerve. 

This patient was in a fairly good physical condition, still 
gaining in weight — good appetite — regular bowel movements, 
with no jaundice, although he complained of insomnia. He 



COMPLICATIOX IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 265 

was not able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, 
and consequently, he felt the need of rest. 

Before making a record of the treatment instituted at 
this visit, it will be advisable to recall some of the most 
prominent — and most important — factors in this case. 

This is a typical case of jaundice, the climax being reached 
on June 12, when two surgeons and three physicians were in 
consultation. One of the surgeons, a man with a State-wide 
reputation, insisted upon immediate operation, saying that 
the patient could not live more than twenty-four hours without 
it. The patient first comes under observation seven weeks later, 
still jaundiced and with symptoms of acute congestion of the 
liver and persistent, colicky pains in the stomach. He is 
greatly reduced in flesh and strength, being unable to take 
food, and begins to fear the presence of a malignant growth. 

Mentally, his condition is normal, shown by his willingness 
to enter a hospital, but when he finds that relief is so readily 
secured, he evidently concludes that he is out of danger and 
nature will do the rest. Two office visits in twelve weeks scarcely 
affords a physician much opportunity of saving the life of a 
dying man. As a matter of fact, this patient, like many others, 
has neglected and disregarded treatment, believing himself 
independent of his medical attendant. It is a safe estimate 
that he would have been as far advanced toward recovery as he 
was at this last visit, had the treatment originally advised, 
been faithfully carried out. Then, we would have had to deal 
with substantially the same conditions, really, the remote 
effects of the constitutional disorder, the jaundice, liver con- 
gestion and gastric derangement, being taken collectively as 
the immediate effects. 

Treatment, therefore, to be successful and insure perman- 
ency, must be conducted for the purpose of correcting the 
original deviation from normal, the acid excess being taken, 
not only as a guide for medication, but also as a proof of the 
physico-chemic changes leading up to the original attack. The 
nerve structures have become obtunded through factitious, 



266 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

inorganic deposits of magnesium, either by (1) simple replace- 
ment, (2) chemic transformation, or (3) united with calcium. 

In order to restore function, it is imperative that we promote 
magnesium dissociation — according to the law of mass action, 
or by chemic disintegration. Our efforts in this direction, 
however, would be fruitless without attention to the persistent 
and pronounced acid excess. Fortunately, the digestion is 
unimpaired; hence, the third factor in treatment may safely 
be omitted. Medication was therefore limited to the alkaline- 
saline treatment for the acid excess, and the calcium iodide, 
also an alkali, to promote magnesium dissociation, by chemic 
disintegration. 

During the ensuing year, I prescribed for this patient several 
times by mail, for the usual symptoms characteristic of mag- 
nesium infiltration, such as habitual constipation, indigestion, 
and there was always more or less complaint of headache, due, 
of course, to the sluggish condition of the lymph-glandular 
system. I saw him once, in August, when he had an ordinary 
attack of autumnal fever, or summer catarrh, with the usual 
symptoms, and as in the previous instances, it was found that 
calcium iodide was the most valuable remedy — conjointly with 
medication for the purpose of correcting the excessive acidity. 

SKIN DISEASES. 

There is no more important matter to consider in the 
treatment of skin diseases than the abnormal reactions 
arising from defective metabolism. Notwithstanding the 
most careful attention to diet, exercise and bathing, many 
disorders persist until the habit known as "hyperacidity" 
has been overcome. Still, this is not precisely true in all 
cases, since it can be shown that many cases of skin disorders 
such as eczema, are directly traceable to unsuitable dietary — 
and for the most part, this unsuitable diet consists in the 
employment of cereals, almost exclusively, for breakfast. 

A case is recalled of a young lady, rather stout, who appar- 
ently enjoyed perfect health, but she would have recurrent 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 267 

attacks of eczema, no part of the body escaping. With correc- 
tion of the dietary and the administration of calcium carbonate 
(vitalized chalk), in substantial doses, the trouble would all 
disappear in the course of a few days or a week. This patient 
also reported that if she went to the country to remain only 
a few days, she generally returned entirely free from any skin 
eruption, although it might have been severe when she left 
home. 

Alternation of Diseases. — From the earliest times there has 
prevailed a popular belief in the alternation of diseases, par- 
ticularly diseases affecting the surface of the body, such as 
boils, carbuncle, eczema, etc. Thus, we may have bronchitis 
and asthma alternating with eczema; the local treatment of 
pruritus (itching), and erythroderma (redness of the skin), 
frequently gives rise to congestion of the lungs and albu- 
minuria; and in the case of boils and "running" sores, there 
is often an affection developed for them bordering on 
feticism. 

In such cases, the impression is that the disease "strikes 
in," while as a matter of fact, it merely shows an excess of 
waste material trying to find an outlet — when one channel 
is blocked, another is sought, so that other organs or tissues 
are called upon to perform a vicarious function. 

Now, the Vienna school — not to mention schools less dis- 
tant — would have us believe that all these local manifesta- 
tions arise from microbic invasion, but no reason is advanced 
to account for those who escape. Indeed, this view of the 
pathology is extremely superficial, when we take into account 
the chemic deviation (acid excess), responsible for imperfect 
oxidation and failure in elimination. With proper attention 
to this constitutional defect, microorganisms would not find 
suitable pabulum for growth and multiplication. The plan 
is, therefore, to alkalinize the blood — restore the normal 
alkalinity — when the affected tissues will resume their normal 
functions. 

This unfortunate status in the art medendi, this mental 
strabismus, places the modern physician in a rather anoma- 



268 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

lous position — not unlike that of a good marksman with the 
sights on his gun not properly adjusted. Although he has 
the range, a first-class gun and a good aim, his shots hit the 
target six inches above the bull's-eye. The whole difficulty 
can be resolved by correction or removal of the cause which 
leads to impairment of the secondary assimilation — when the 
doctor's foresight will be as good as his "hindsight". 

Numerous cases of acne, a serious blemish to the com- 
plexion in young women, are due entirely to acid excess, 
and will readily respond to treatment adopted to overcome 
this chemic deviation, provided that we supply the nervous 
system with the necessary proximate principles to enable 
the nerve cells to functionate, lime in some form being 
distinctly indicated. Thus, it will be seen that non-parasitic 
skin diseases resemble in some respects jaundice — they may 
be considered as a local disorder, a nerve affection, or a 
constitutional disease, and as will be shown in the follow- 
ing reports, the evidence clearly points to skin disease of 
this character as a local manifestation of a constitutional 
diathesis. 

Eczema. — A case of eczema affecting the hands and feet, 
with a history of seven years' duration came under observa- 
tion and absolutely resisted the most approved methods until 
alkaline-saline medication was introduced as a part of the treat- 
ment. To give a slight idea of the extreme character of this case, 
it might be mentioned that the discharge was so profuse as to 
require a change of stockings three times a day, and the appear- 
ance of the tissues resembled raw meat. This patient made 
rapid improvement after modification in the treatment, and 
later a perfect recovery, the normal tissue change having been 
firmly reestablished — at least, I presume this statement is 
warranted, since the patient has not returned after a lapse of 
nearly three years. 

The following record of a case of recurrent eczema is 
particularly valuable as a means of confirming the teachings 
put forward regarding the different factors responsible for 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 269 

the disease — in eczema, we have the acid excess, the sluggish 
condition of the lymph-glandular apparatus, and also the 
magnesium infiltration as the constant complication, 
especially in elderly patients. 

About a year preceding the present writing, I prescribed by 
mail for a gentleman 81 years of age, who was then suffering 
from a persistent attack of eczema, which had resisted treat- 
ment for several months. My expectation was that the patient 
would report promptly; in fact, I requested that he would 
report after treatment had been continued for one full week, 
but I had no report until four months later. The following 
extracts from a letter received at this time will give a fairly 
complete description of the serious nature of the attack: 

"I believe my disease to be constitutional, an inheritance, 
and hence, innate, because my earliest recollections are asso- 
ciated with it, but it has assumed different forms at other 
periods. 

"Some thirty -five or forty years ago, I had an accomplished 
French gentleman as tutor for my children, who observed my 
trouble and disability and advised me to get" — mentioning a 
popular tar solution — "who said the disease was in my blood, 
and that this would take it out. I had it imported and took 
several bottles, a teaspoonful three times a day in a glass of 
water. In a month, I was in Job's condition, but soon got over 
the boils, and from that day until last fall I was not troubled 
with eczema. I want to try it again. 

"I do not recall whether I mentioned in my former letter 
that I have suffered six months from chronic diarrhea, so bad 
that at times I had to wear napkins. I think it was due to 
intestinal indigestion; my stomach being in good condition, I 
didn't suffer very much pain, unless aggravated. I was more 
or less debilitated, so I commenced experimenting with your 
treatment (alkaline-saline and calcium iodide)." 

The patient then goes on to describe the difficulty with the 
bowels, and the involvement or irritation of the bladder which 
attended the treatment, adding: "Following your prescrip- 
tion, my symptoms were aggravated with no apparent effect 



270 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

on the eczema. In fact, the green-soap liniment aggravated 
the eczema, irritating the raw places, and gave considerable 
pain. Nevertheless, I continued experimenting with the 
treatment, believing that it was the. right thing if properly 
used, and I finally discovered that one teaspoonful of the 
effervescent powder at bed-time preceded one hour by the 
calcium iodide with half the quantity in the morning before 
breakfast had a happy effect. I then added a noon-day dose, 
and now take one in the afternoon. 

" The result has been that my bowels are in normal condition, 
my urine though high-colored and reduced in quantity is not 
acrid, i. e., the irritating sensation about the bladder and 
urethra has disappeared. But I do not discover any effect 
upon the eczema, which has made slow progress, and holds 
its ground. By the use of palliatives, such as bathing with 
a solution of Epsom salt, and then anointing with various 
ointments, I manage to get cat-naps and keep fairly com- 
fortable. 

"My apprehension is that I am minus the vix medicatrix 
naturce, and that this inherent weakness will continue to hold 
the fort. Nevertheless, if you concur, I would like to try once 
more the tar solution." 

It would be a mistake to assume that the treatment was 
unsuccessful, because the eczema was not benefited. The 
reader will bear in mind that this report was sent four 
months after treatment was advised instead of one week. 
The object of the preliminary treatment was to neutralize 
the acid excess, and promote magnesium dissociation, and 
thus restore the normal functional activity of the cells, 
including, of course, the trophic nerve cells, which govern 
nutrition. 

As previously pointed out, in the treatment of eczema 
it is necessary to stimulate the lymph-glandular apparatus, 
and since there was no serious objection to the tar solution, 
of course, that was sent. Two weeks later a reply was 
received, and extracts from the same will show the prompt 
and satisfactory effects of treatment: 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 271 

"I am happy to report that my sores are all healed, the 
irritation is lessened, and I am strengthened so that I expect 
to put on my clothes tomorrow, which I have not done for four 
weeks. The eruption has all gone in, but about my neck and 
chest and limbs there is more or less discoloration and itching, 
especially at night in bed. I find that boric acid in the form 
of solution is about the most soothing application. Have lost 
some fifteen to twenty pounds in flesh, but have a good appe- 
tite, and hope to be able to gain in strength and flesh. 

" I took the medicine as directed, alkaline-saline and tar 
solution in alternation for a week, and along with this, calcium 
sulphide (grain i), five times daily. I shall now resume the 
tar solution, one teaspoonful three times a day before meals, 
which I believe will eradicate the uric acid from my blood." 

In concluding this report, it is only necessary to point 
to the peculiar notions of the patient, that his malady was 
inherent, that it was due to uric acid, and that the eczema 
could be relieved by the internal use of tar. These false 
premises were later completely demonstrated, as I recently 
received a communication from the patient, saying that 
notwithstanding the persistent use of the tar solution, the 
eczema has again developed, showing the tendency to recur, 
and this is doubtless due to dietetic errors. 

Eczema capitis (eczema of the scalp) is a variety confined 
to the head, usually seen in children. It is diffuse, pustular, 
and impetiginous (pea- or finger-nail sized), and with the 
usual treatment employed at the present day, a very intract- 
able disorder, often requiring months of treatment, notwith- 
standing the employment of both external and internal remedies. 
However, our present knowledge regarding acid excess, impair- 
ment of the lymph-glandular apparatus with magnesium 
infiltration as the complication, a few days, or at most, a week, 
is quite sufficient to effect a complete cure. In these cases we 
have a distinct advantage over treatment of disease in elderly 
persons, the active tissue change which is going on in the 
bodv — hence, as a rule, it is only necessary to administer lime 



272 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

in sufficient quantity to overcome what I have termed "simple 
replacement," this being accomplished according to the law 
of mass action. The following record will suffice to show the 
efficiency and simplicity of treatment. 

A child, twenty months old, apparently in perfect health, 
was afflicted with eczema capitis, a typical case, which had 
been in evidence for several weeks, and notwithstanding active 
local and internal treatment, the disorder seemed to be making 
progress. Treatment in this case consisted in the employment of 
calcium carbonate (vitalized chalk), in the form of a normal 
trituration, five grains of the trituration being given four times 
daily, no local treatment being advised except cleanliness. In 
view of the serious character of the disorder, however, I re- 
quested the father to report after treatment had been continued 
for a period of four days, and this report was substantially what 
the editors say of war-like conflicts — " short, sharp and decisive." 
The letter said, "the child was almost well," and recovery was 
complete within ten days. 

Psoriasis. — The intrinsic merits of these teachings can 
scarcely be appreciated, because the results attending 
treatment are so incredible. Perhaps, it will strengthen 
the claims advanced if another type of skin disease is 
considered, psoriasis, one of the most intractable of all. 

The patient, a man, 36 years of age, gives a history of ten 
years' suffering from psoriasis, the diagnosis having been con- 
firmed by a number of experts who have had him under treatment 
for various periods of time, and at the first visit, he presented 
a typical case. The body as well as the limbs were covered 
with the eruption, and in addition to this, there was consider- 
able pigmentation, especially on the legs, where healing had 
taken place from time to time. During the entire ten years, 
there had only been an abatement for a short interval, and 
neither he nor his medical attendant could determine what 
favorable influence was responsible for it. 

The personal history is entirely favorable, and the only 
objectionable feature in the family history refers to the death 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 273 

of his father and mother from tuberculosis. The father had 
reached 50 years of age or more, always enjoyed perfect health, 
but he jumped into a mill-race during the winter, to rescue a 
boy who had fallen into the water, and from that time forward 
he suffered from cough, and died from tubercular infection. 
Unfortunately, in those days, the dangers from tubercular 
infection were not as well understood as at the present time, 
and as a consequence, the mother nursed the father during his 
illness, and became infected — she died five weeks later. 

As the probable causative factor in the production of psori- 
asis in this case, it should be mentioned that for several years 
previous to its development, the patient had suffered from 
persistent dyspepsia, and of course, we know what that means, 
hyperacidity, only another name for acid excess. The patient 
reports that the dyspepsia disappeared entirely and that too, 
quite suddenly after he had eaten freely of ripe peaches. Asking 
how many peaches he ate, he said probably fifty or seventy- 
five peaches in one day. It was not long after that until the 
psoriasis appeared. 

This patient is an intelligent man, engaged in mercantile 
business, and of course has become somewhat conversant with 
the views of half a dozen or more specialists who have treated 
him — none of them for less than a year at a time. In discussing 
the preliminary treatment, of course, it was explained to him 
that the acid excess arising from the continued indigestion had 
so affected the trophic nerves as to produce this peculiar skin 
disease, and I proposed that he should take a hot bath, an 
ordinary tub-bath, adding half a pound of Epsom salt to each 
bath. This was to be continued for a week or ten days, the hot 
bath to be taken every second or third night. As a result of 
this treatment, the patient was thoroughly convinced, because 
the Epsom salt solution nearly drove him wild. Even before 
this was begun he would frequently have to get up as often as 
five or six times at night, using an ointment to allay the intense 
itching. 

Preliminary treatment was begun by the employment of 
moderately small doses of calcium carbonate, and later, larger 
doses were given, when it was found that the treatment showed 
18 



274 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

improvement, not only relief from the itching, but the produc- 
tion of scales was diminished, and new "spots" less frequent. 
Further, it was necessary to observe the effect of the vitalized 
chalk upon the bowel movements — it is possible to produce 
calcareous deposits as a result of the magnesium dissociation, 
because the surplus lime will combine with it in the intestine, 
and for all practical purposes, it forms concrete. It might be 
added that the ingestion of fruits containing seeds, such as 
raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and tomatoes will "gather" 
the calcareous material, and may even produce obstruction. 

However, we had no difficulty in the matter of magnesium 
dissociation, and as a consequence, large doses were administered, 
as high as thirty grains of a normal trituration three times a 
day, but the results were entirely satisfactory, the body and 
limbs being free from the eruption at the expiration of three 
months. Of course, there was pigmentation, and later, a dis- 
position to recurrence, but the patient has been under obser- 
vation now for over two years, and for all that period he has 
never had any at one time more than half-dozen "spots." 

Of course, in addition to the calcium carbonate, the patient 
had from time to time, the alkaline-saline treatment, but this 
acid tendency has long ago disappeared, so that it is not now a 
factor in the treatment. 

Conclusion. — A time was, and it is not far distant, when it 
was considered the sine qua non to establish the diagnosis, 
by naming the disease; inasmuch as that method proved 
unsatisfactory, an effort was made to establish a new regime, 
the idea being advanced that it was far better to treat the 
patient and let the disease take care of itself. Unfortunately, 
this latter plan has acted as a boomerang, patients under 
treatment for months and years being awakened from their 
lethargy by a realization of the true state of affairs — they 
were treated socially rather than professionally. As will be 
observed in the present work, the aim has been to establish 
principles, in order that the conditions responsible for the 
disease might be corrected, mitigated or removed, and a 
sufficient number of illustrations have been added here and 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 275 

there to confirm the teachings put forward. The informa- 
tion or knowledge thus advanced, it is believed, will enact 
the role of rudder and compass to guide physicians safely 
over the uncharted sea of therapeutics. 

Now, in respect to the disorders considered in the present 
section, the reader must understand that it is necessary to 
comprehend the causative factors; that in order to effect 
cures, we must determine with certainty these factors, and 
if there is more than one, we must make allowance therefor. 
In other words, it is not a correct idea to take the diagnosis, 
and depend upon a single remedy or combination of remedies, 
because these factors are different, notwithstanding the fact 
that they are interdependent and inter-related. 

Thus, we cannot with certainty or safety overlook certain 
fundamental principles which are recognized as interfering 
with nutrition, and so long as these remain uncorrected, 
the disease by whatever name, is certain to persist. There- 
fore, the physician must be competent to recognize these 
factors, no matter in what form they appear, or from what 
position they are viewed; and besides, he must be able to 
entertain more than a single syllogism; in fact, he must 
be able to recognize the truth of the proposition that the 
three angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles. The 
foregoing axiomatic deduction being advanced to a fellow 
practitioner, he innocently asked, "What is a right angle?" 
As a writer on the Romances of Chivalry says of the Knights 
— "brave, generous, self-sacrificing and devout, but the 
indispensable virtue of chastity is absent from their lives," 
so may we say of some modern doctors: they are brave, 
generous, self-sacrificing and devout, but knowledge, the 
essential requisite, is woefully lacking. 



TONSILLITIS. 

In connection with this study of suppuration and its 
relation to magnesium infiltration, it seems worth while to 
discuss more fully the subject of tonsillitis. 



276 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Tonsillitis in children, as in adults, is a coccus infec- 
tion, usually streptococcus, but its contagious character is 
greatly over-rated — although this does not mean that it 
is not catching, nor that there is no serious danger to the 
patient as a result of coccus infection. On the contrary, an 
attack of tonsillitis demands careful attention to the chemic 
status of the patient on the part of the medical attendant, 
to prevent dissemination of the infection through the medium 
of the lymphatics — to the kidneys, the lungs, the plurse 
and the brain. A diminished alkalinity of the body fluids, 
blood and lymph — acid excess — with the coincident impair- 
ment of the lymph-glandular apparatus may be sufficient 
to develop an endocarditis, a pericarditis, or even appen- 
dicitis; hence, the paramount importance of treatment 
conducted for the purpose of neutralizing acidity — to make 
the cells icork. 

Like many other contagious (contactuous) diseases, tonsil- 
litis will not occur unless the conditions are favorable for 
the growth and multiplication of the infection. When these 
conditions are understood, and the proper measures taken 
for their correction, treatment of the disease is extremely 
simple. A study of the usual deviations from normal will 
suffice to make this point clear and distinct. 

In a general way, every case of tonsillitis is traceable to 
disordered digestion, exposure to cold being the exciting 
factor. In the incipiency of an attack, therefore, the proper 
thing to do is to adopt a restricted dietary and try to avoid 
exposure — in short, to fast and keep warm and comfortable, 
when the normal nerve stimuli, electric, thermic, mechanic 
and chemic, will neutralize the toxin (infection). Let this 
toxin gain entrance to the circulation and there follows 
reaction or fever — thermic stimulus being called into play. 
Thermic stimulus generates electricity and electric stimulus 
develops chemic changes (reactions or stimuli), and if the 
child is old enough, we also have a psychic effect or stimulus. 
The severity of an attack, however, is determined by the 
chemic status of the body fluids and tissues; in other words, 
by studying the reactions. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 277 

Acid Excess. — An acid salivary reaction is the token — the 
sign of susceptibility — and its persistence necessarily hinders 
recovery and prolongs convalescence, because acid saliva is 
abnormal, positive evidence that there is a disordered con- 
dition of the nervous mechanism incident to the indigestion. 
This is well illustrated in severe cases, where we have to 
contend with high temperature, restlessness, even delirium, 
sleeplessness, and more or less pain in consequence of the 
congestion. At first a local manifestation, the vascular 
character of the tonsil acts as a port of entrance — through 
the lymphatics which invest the tonsil, enabling it to 
functionate. Under normal conditions as to reactions, how- 
ever, the antiseptic properties of the body fluids would be 
quite sufficient to neutralize infection as fast as taken up 
— showing that acid excess with coincident reduction in 
alkalinity of the blood must be regarded as responsible 
for systemic invasion. 

This is not all; nor does the foregoing description afford 
a normal perspective of the disease, except in a most super- 
ficial manner — like all perspectives. Indigestion, while it 
leads to acid excess and susceptibility to coccus infection, 
does even more, through the chemic reactions taking place 
in the nerve structures, the missing link in respect to treat- 
ment. Here, as in every other instance or disorder, acute 
and chronic, the acidity depletes the lime content while 
magnesium takes its place, so that the nerve cells cease to 
functionate in a normal manner, and thus the tissues lose 
their resistant properties — an illustration of the chemic 
changes taking place which give rise to or determine sus- 
ceptibility. 

Summing up the various deviations from normal, dis- 
ordered digestion leading to acid excess, with exposure to 
cold, generally the exciting factor, coccus infection through 
the tonsil with the coincident chemic transformation in the 
nerve structures, and the problem of treatment is more 
than half solved — at least, it is simplified in a marked degree, 
as will be seen from a cursory glance at modern methods, 
scientific and traditional. 



278 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Anodynes — opium and its derivatives — are employed to 
relieve pain, but they do more harm by further obtunding 
nerve susceptibility, arresting the secretions, while the 
infection runs riot through the system — and the patient is 
then convinced of his illness. What effects, immediate and 
remote, are produced upon the delicate brain structures 
of infants and children by this scientific (?) misfit must be 
discovered by the psychologist of the future — it passeth 
understanding. 

Hypnotics are used to promote sleep, oblivious to the 
fact that the germs work while you sleep, so that the 
"expectant" plan serves merely to prolong the malady and 
pave the way for interminable complications. 

Antiseptics are of value, for their effect upon the tonsils — 
not for systemic effect — but to be efficacious, it is necessary 
to maintain antisepsis throughout the entire nasal as well 
as the buccal cavity. The best results are attained only 
through thorough disinfection of the naso-pharyngeal space, 
and especially the upper portion — an exceptionally favorable 
nidus for germ proliferation. Antiseptics for the bowels 
are demanded only in the case of prolonged illness as a 
result of employing harmful anodynes and useless hypnotics. 

Antipyretics, to reduce fever, are of questionable advan- 
tage, except as a temporary expedient, because of their 
depressing effect upon the heart. I have employed with 
good results the combination of acetanilide with caffeine 
and nuclein — in consideration of its demonstrable efficiency 
in promoting the radiation of heat, together with its 
advantages as an analgesic and freedom from untoward 
after-effects. It should be understood, however, that anti- 
pyretics are not curative — they are merely expedients, and are 
employed as collateral treatment, for the temperature eleva- 
tion, the latter being a symptom — not the disease itself. 

Sudorifics, to produce free perspiration, along with 
sialagogues, to stimulate the flow of saliva, are of doubtful 
utility — on a par with the antiquated and obsolete practice 
of administering purgatives and emetics for their revulsive 
effects. 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 279 

Arterial sedatives, in small doses, may be employed to 
advantage in the early stage of an attack to relieve active 
congestion, a mere symptom of the intensity of infection 
when coupled with the personal susceptibility. With 
efficient measures to correct abnormal reactions, the demand 
for symptomatic treatment disappears. 

Topical Applications. — Coming now to the traditional 
methods included under the head of topical applications, 
such as swabbing, gargling, the employment of heat, in 
the form of wet or dry compresses, poultices of mush, 
flax-seed, hops, etc., together with ham-fat, salt-bacon, 
dirty stockings and "rubbing" bottles of every conceivable 
description and variety, it is incredible that such absurd 
methods should still prevail among an educated and 
intelligent people. 

Studying the disorder from a scientific viewpoint, in the 
abstract, we have to deal with systemic infection, the nature 
of which is known. This infection finds entrance through 
the tonsil, giving rise to the usual symptoms produced by 
similar toxins. The apparent cause, disordered digestion, 
coupled with cold and exposure, has long been recognized, 
but the pre-existent effects, which produce or create the 
susceptibility, have been overlooked — as a result of failure 
to observe the status of the reactions. And here is found 
the pivotal factor, or turning point, which determines 
susceptibility. In other words, derangement of the physio- 
logic equilibrium has so interfered with nerve conduc- 
tion that the cellular structures imperfectly perform their 
functions. Just as in other instances of like character, 
typhoid fever, tuberculosis and pneumonia, we discover 
that the magnesium infiltration — an effect — is the real 
cause of the apparent cause of tonsillitis, and thus we have 
advanced another step in demonstrating the chemic problem 
in nutrition. 

To give this discussion a practical turn, it will be neces- 
sary to present evidence in concrete form to confirm the 
abstract theory — and establish the fundamental basis upon 
which it rests. This task will be rendered less difficult by 



280 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

submitting a preliminary chart for the purpose of developing 
the systematic plan of treatment which is universally 
applicable — although early treatment precludes the necessity 
for carrying it out in detail and prevents complications, 
recovery being usually complete within twenty-four hours, 
with no lingering convalescence. 

Treatment of Tonsillitis (Schema). 

{Nuclein — Antidote to coccus infection; 
Alkaline-saline — To neutralize acid excess; 
Calcium Salts — To promote magnesium dissociation. 

( Fever — Arterial sedatives (Gelsemium); 

C llateral- J "^ a * n — Acetanilide with caffeine; 

' 1 Antisepsis — Local applications; 

[ Suppuration — Evacuation (Calcium sulphide to prevent) . 

C Diet and hygiene; 
General: \ Inunctions, massage, baths; 
( Electricity, oxygen enemata. 

Direct Treatment. — To antidote coccus infection, we have 
nuclein, a glandular product, given in the form of tablet 
triturates, small doses at short intervals, or a single large 
dose hypodermically. Fever, pain, restlessness, difficulty 
in swallowing, all subside in the course of a few hours, while 
the tendency to suppuration is arrested. 

As a rule, but one of the tonsils is involved at first, the 
other becoming affected usually within twenty-four hours — 
sometimes several days elapse — but this is avoided by 
alkaline-saline medication to neutralize acid excess, deter- 
mined by testing the saliva with blue litmus paper. 

Susceptibility having been brought about through the acid 
excess and consecutive deterioration in nerve conduction, 
it naturally follows that measures should be employed for 
the special purpose of reestablishing a normal condition 
in the cellular structures, and especially is this necessary 
in respect to the nerve cells, in consequence of the lime 
depletion. By adopting this course, we avoid the "conva- 
lescent" period, although with early treatment in the case 
of robust children as previously outlined, there is rarely a 



COMPLICATION IN CONSTITUTIONAL MALADIES 281 

demand for the calcium salts. When we have to contend 
with debility, susceptibility to colds with evidences of 
failure in nutrition — so-called "delicate" children — calcium 
constitutes the most important part of the convalescent 
treatment. 

There is an impression prevails — with physicians — that 
tonsillitis in childhood and adolescence foreshadows rheu- 
matism in later life, and they point with pride (?) to the 
records of their consecutive appearance as proof, but this 
is an extremely superficial view and the deduction is unwar- 
ranted. Correction of the acid excess in childhood coupled 
with attention to the disordered digestion, and the child 
will out-grow the diathesis. In the case of adults also, 
identical management enables them to outlive it, so that 
in the final analysis, immunity from tonsillitis — as well as 
from rheumatism — relates to chemistry rather than to 
physiology. Hence, the utter fallacy of traditional methods, 
grouped under the head of "topical applications," there 
being neither reason nor excuse for their multiplicity. 

Collateral Treatment. — It will now be in order to discuss 
collateral or symptomatic treatment — rarely demanded 
unless the case is well advanced, or the patient a confirmed 
sufferer from the acid diathesis. 

Fever, congestion and restlessness or delirium are promptly 
relieved by the internal administration of gelsemium, an 
arterial sedative, in small doses at short intervals. By 
relaxing arterial tension, a more equable distribution of 
the blood is secured — fever is allayed — congestion relieved 
and restlessness overcome, so that the most formidable 
symptoms subside in the course of a few hours. 

Pain, headache, or nausea and vomiting readily yield to 
the analgesic effects of acetanilide with caffeine, a small 
dose being given at hourly intervals and followed by a 
moderate quantity of hot water — to insure immediate 
solution and prompt distribution through the medium of 
the circulation. It is also an efficient antiseptic. This 
combination I have used for upwards of twenty years and 
invariably with the most happy effects. 



282 DISORDERS OF NUTRITION 

Local antiseptics are not without value, although not 
imperatively demanded in mild cases, except as a pre- 
cautionary measure — and right here should be emphasized 
the danger of infection from kissing. All local applications 
should be bland and free from irritation, and with the 
exception of hydrogen dioxide as a throat spray, no watery 
solutions should be employed. By far the most important 
local application consists in thorough disinfection of the 
nasal cavity, by means of a non-irritant antiseptic held in 
solution by oil. Caustics and the like should find no place 
in the treatment of tonsillitis — unless it is desired to aggra- 
vate the malady, prolong the illness and pave the way for 
complications. 

Suppuration demands immediate evacuation, followed by 
calcium sulphide — to arrest the tendency. When pus- 
formation is imminent, congestion is relieved by arterial 
sedatives conjointly with calcium sulphide — the excessive 
acidity being neutralized by alkaline-saline treatment — 
while external applications, such as poultices, insure it. 

General treatment is outlined in the tabulation, diet and 
hygiene being of prime importance. Usually, in tonsillitis, 
the patient develops a craving for some particular food 
substance, but inability to swallow without pain becomes 
a constant source of irritation. Careful study of this 
problem shows that the "craving" arises from the highly 
acid condition of the system — a chemic deviation, coinci- 
dent with or consecutive to depletion of the lime content 
of the nuclear proteid. This symptom is promptly relieved 
by alkaline-saline medication to neutralize acidity — later, 
the calcium salts should be employed to correct the chemic 
deviation. 

On the whole, therefore, we shall more quickly arrest 
the disorder and avoid a lingering convalescence by 
fasting, or by adopting a restricted dietary, until the 
acute symptoms have subsided. 

Hygienic treatment requires no elaborate discussion. It 
is desirable that the patient be isolated and his room well 
ventilated, the temperature being maintained at about 68° F. 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



Psychiatry — Alkalescence a Factor — Rest and Exercise — Causes 
and Symptoms — Physiologic Basis — Forms of Invasion — Infantile 
Paralysis — Paresthesia — Spinal Section — Raynaud's Disease — Motor 
and Sensory Nerves — Morbid Reflexes — Locomotor Ataxia — Incipient 
Paresis — Nervous Prostration — Abstract and Concrete Evidence — 
Senile Changes — Sclerosis — Prevention or Cure — Agraphia — Aphasia 
—Old Age. 

Psychiatry. — From my viewpoint, nervous disorders follow 
magnesium infiltration, not with the same regularity, but 
with the usual certainty, as night follows day. Although 
the psychic presentation of treatment advanced by Dubois 
is ingenuous and interesting, it lacks an essential desider- 
atum requisite for scientific classification — it is not logical. 
While not denying the complete recovery of his recorded 
cases as a result of dialectic animadversions, there is a 
frank confession from him that many patients fail to respond, 
even with the addition of drugs. All physicians, as a rule, 
even unconsciously, get a distinct advantage from diriga- 
tion, which is the foundation of mental healing, Christian 
science, and other methods which appeal to the subcon- 
scious ego, but it is uncertain, indefinite, superficial, and 
chimerical in the extreme. In my own experience I have 
seen patients recover from both acute and chronic ailments 
of long standing without having the prescription filled, or 
within a few days after beginning treatment and long before 
medication could possibly have brought about results, but 
these have been the exception rather than the rule. Never- 
theless, it must be admitted that there is evidence sufficient 
to warrant a belief in psychiatry — a receptive agnosticism, 



284 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

but its greatest attainment must be reached through the 
regular channels which characterize all scientific induction. 

Alkalescence a Factor. — To consider this question briefly, 
let us follow the changes in our daily food. When digestion 
is completed — primary assimilation — certain changes take 
place — secondary assimilation — by which a portion is con- 
verted into living tissue, a physiologic change, and also a 
portion is converted into bone, a chemic change, but the 
protoplasmic cells are so infinitesimal that a point is reached 
where these distinctions are impossible, except to the psychol- 
ogist. A foundation is laid, however, as regards the nervous 
system. Thus, Heidenhain introduced aniline into the 
circulation to find that nerve tissue alone took up the stain — 
in varying degrees in different organs depending upon the 
alkalescence of the tissues. Taking this in connection with 
the experimental researches of Loeb, going to show that 
alkalescence is dependent upon nerve stimuli — and bearing 
in mind that the transmission of nerve impulses is hindered 
by magnesium infiltration, we have a fairly complete 
answer to Dubois' theory, and at the same time a con- 
firmation of my claims in favor of adopting measures to 
neutralize acid excess. Also should be mentioned here the 
beneficial effects of high frequency electricity in reducing 
arterial tension, thus corroborating the laboratory researches 
of Loeb, although in well marked cases of magnesium infil- 
tration only temporary benefit can be expected from this 
alone. 

And right here arises a question of the utmost impor- 
tance, one which my critics will propound with emphasis 
and evident satisfaction — How it is practicable or possible 
to adjust alkaline-saline medication to the normal demands 
of the system? Fortunately, the answer is ready at hand. 1 

"Moore and Roaf, 2 have shown the affinities of the cells 
other than the red blood cells, for potassium and the phosphates 

1 Jonathan Wright, M.D., The Mechanico Biological Standpoint 
in Medical Problems, New York Medical Journal, October 10, 1908. 

2 Biochemical Journal, January 22, 1908. 



REST AND EXERCISE 285 

and the lack of it for sodium and the chlorides. This distinction 
they ascribe not to the cell membrane, but to the internal 
mechanism of the cell; that is, the currents back and forth do 
not obey such osmotic laws as we have been able to deduce 
from the action of membranes on fluids outside of the body. 
They find that there is a point of equilibrium not identical with 
that of equal saturation, beyond which these attractive forces 
do not act. The cell, by selective action, draws to itself a 
large number of potassium and a small number of sodium ions, 
and there is an index of saturation for each, varying somewhat 
in different situations and under varying conditions. We have 
seen the indications of the same law governing the bacterium 
at the surface, the same equilibrium has been pointed out for 
the tonsillar crypt as for the liver cell and the kidney cell, 
bathed in the fluids of their environments. The living colloid 
of the kidney cell, acting on the inert crystalline molecule of 
potassium, acts differently through its membrane than water 
through a dead membrane. The inert crystalline molecule 
of potassium and the dust particle have different sorts of 
tension from the white blood cell and the bacterium. The 
potential index of the surface tension, therefore, depends on the 
internal chemistry of the particle. One is very simple and the 
other enormously complex. But it also depends on its mass, 
its size." 

Clinically, the answer is less complicated and even more 
complete, the physiologic equilibrium in alkaline-saline 
medication being shown by the absence of palability, a test 
which is well within the comprehension of the merest tyro 
in therapeutics. 

Rest and Exercise. — Perhaps the reader is favorably dis- 
posed to believe that further investigation in this direction 
will throw a flood of light upon the treatment of various 
types of nervous diseases, neurasthenia, hysteria, hypo- 
chondria, melancholia and insanity, and he will not be 
disappointed. But no one will remain obtuse as to which 
camp I belong — rest cure, or exercise cure — because I have 
shown the abnormal conditions, physical and chemical, 



286 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

responsible for their development, at the same time indicating 
the physiologic and chemic means required to cause their 
disappearance. So-called "nervous" patients will now be 
able to arrange their plans much more to their liking. 
Instead of spending six weeks — or six months — in a sani- 
tarium, followed by a pleasure trip of ten days, there will be 
two pleasure trips, the first of ten days' duration to reestab- 
lish the normal physiologic equilibrium, the second, ad 
libitum, to recuperate from the exhaustion incident to the 
magnesium infiltration — and it costs no more to travel than 
to be confined in a first class sanitarium. 

Causes and Symptoms. — For the purpose of enabling the 
reader to secure a fairly comprehensive and reasonably 
intelligent conception of the causes and symptoms of dis- 
orders of the nervous system, it will be necessary to pass in 
review a limited number of the many pathologic conditions 
requiring the services of a physician. It is a notable fact 
that many persons suffer for years, patiently or otherwise, 
from some slight nervous disorder, until forbearance ceases 
to be a virtue, when they consult a physician with the 
expectation of securing immediate and permanent relief. 
In short, they demand the impossible, and it is believed 
that a careful perusal of these pages will throw sufficient 
light upon the peculiar complications presenting to guard 
the intelligent reader against the unwarranted conclusion 
that a day of miracles has dawned. 

Like all other finite projects, the chemic problem in nutri- 
tion has its limitations. Its value and efficiency depend 
entirely upon the integrity of the protoplasmic cell, the 
ultimate unit in both animal and plant life. While assuming 
as definitely settled that inorganic deposits (of magnesium), 
constitute a serious obstacle to the successful warfare 
against disease, it does not follow that such deviations are 
always amenable to medical treatment. When the organic 
cells have lost their organized characteristics and cease to 
functionate, even after removal of foreign substances, their 
ability to recuperate is wholly dissipated. Productive 
inflammation, with the formation of new tissue, entirely 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS 287 

different from the original, would be a contra-indication for 
medical treatment without a preliminary surgical operation 
to remove the obstruction. 

Physiologic Basis. — Underlying the chemic problem in 
nutrition is an intelligent, logical, and scientific physiologic 
basis, fundamental in character, and when once understood, 
the treatment of disease is extremely simple — it makes for 
simplicity and efficiency. It develops the capacity for 
associating ideas, conferring upon a physician of ordinary 
intelligence such a keen sense of perspective and proportion 
that he gives the impression of possessing the fourth dimen- 
sion. 

Forms of Invasion. — The forms of invasion, or shall we 
say, the peculiar types of chemic deviation in magnesium 
infiltration, as elaborated in "Disorders of Nutrition," are 
conveniently arranged under three distinct heads, as follows : 

1. Simple replacement, as in the muscular twitching of 
children suffering from "summer complaint," the jactita- 
tions in chorea (St. Vitus* dance), and the worm-like or 
"creepy" sensation (paresthesia), after serious illness and 
surgical operations. 

2. Chemic transformation, seen in neuritis, neuralgia, 
sciatica and lumbago affecting elderly persons. 

3. United with calcium, occurring usually in advanced 
age, or in those prematurely aged from any cause, the 
later stages of paresis and locomotor ataxia, and always 
associated with high arterial tension with symptoms of 
general breakdown. 

Infantile Paralysis. — While the types mentioned are dis- 
tinct and demonstrable, it does not follow that they remain 
stationary and typical. On the contrary, in most instances, 
the disorder is progressive, one phase of the deviation over- 
lapping the other, as in infantile paralysis. Usually occur- 
ring as a complication in bowel disturbance, scarlet fever or 
other ailments attended with high temperature and arrest 
of the secretions, the onset is sudden and altogether unex- 
pected, because the acid excess (of the general system), 
permits or favors depletion of the lime content of the 



288 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

nuclear proteid, when coincident or consecutive replace- 
ment by magnesium takes place, arresting the capacity for 
imbibition and effectually blocking the transmission of 
nerve impulses. While it is not denied that bacterial 
infection may be a factor in its production, the clinical 
results support the pathologic diagnosis — recent cases of 
infantile paralysis promptly recover when calcium in full 
medicinal doses is administered — due to chemic change 
according to the law of mass action. 

This disease is progressive because, consecutive to the 
original defect, magnesium oxide (calcined magnesia), 
combines chemically with the organic colloids composing 
the nerve structures, and finally, the calcium salts unite 
with the accumulated deposits to produce calcification or 
develop new tissue (productive inflammation), and degener- 
ation is complete. 

Paresthesia. — The following record of an obstinate and 
typical case of paresthesia will serve to illustrate in part 
the preceding classification, at the same time, corroborating 
the claims advanced for simplicity and efficiency. 

The patient, a man of fifty, weighing perhaps 175 pounds, 
slipped and fell on an icy pavement, causing dislocation of the 
knee-joint and fracture of the knee-cap. He was carried in the 
ambulance to one of the foremost hospitals in the city, where 
the leg was set and suitably bandaged. Later, a second operation 
was done to approximate the patellar fragments, and the 
patient's progress appeared quite promising, except for the 
muscular twitching, which prevented sleep. The employment 
of morphine afforded relief only for an hour or two during 
narcotism, while it seriously impaired digestion, and the patient, 
fearing that he might become addicted, flatly refused to con- 
tinue its use. Other measures were tried in vain, and every- 
thing abandoned under the impression that the paresthesia 
must be due to pressure of the plaster cast. Its removal, 
however, made no difference, sleep, except from exhaustion, 
being impossible. 

This gentleman being a personal friend, I visited him several 



RAYNAUD'S DISEASE 289 

times during his ten weeks' confinement in the hospital, but 
on ethical grounds, refused to interfere until he returned to his 
home. He reached home shortly after mid-day, and began 
treatment, which gave him a fairly comfortable night. Con- 
tinuing treatment the following day (iodo-calcium), he slept 
all night, the twitching of the muscles having subsided. 

Spinal Section. — Section of the spinal cord in the dorsal 
region (the back), causes paralysis of motion and sensation 
of the parts below the point of section, with exaggerated 
reflexes of the legs. The counterpart of this, a pathologic con- 
dition, is found in the case of magnesium infiltration, when 
the factitious deposits involve both the motor and sensory 
nerve trunks, although the motor nerves may be seriously 
involved while the sensory nerves are but little affected, and 
vice versa. 

Section of the anterior nerve root causes motor paralysis, 
with muscular atrophy; section of the posterior root causes 
loss of sensation. This is well illustrated in sciatica and 
Raynaud's disease. In the former there is involvement of 
the motor nerves and branches which interferes with tissue 
change and elimination, while the sensory nerve being less 
affected, is able to carry the sensation of pain. 

In Raynaud's disease, there is contraction of the arterioles, 
due to the magnesium infiltration affecting the nerves con- 
trolling the caliber of the blood vessels (vasomotor nerves), 
as well as the trophic nerves — which govern nutrition — 
both motor and sensory nerves being similarly affected, 
when circulation is impaired and sensation abolished, leading 
to gangrene. Usually, but not always, attacks of this 
character are symmetrical, and involve the extremities, 
partial proof at least that Raynaud's disease is a local 
manifestation of constitutional derangement. Confirma- 
tion of the working hypothesis is seen as a result of medical 
treatment — conducted for the purpose of promoting mag- 
nesium dissociation. 

Raynaud's Disease. — According to the accepted nomen- 
clature, Raynaud's disease is classed with disorders of the 
19 



290 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

circulation, but according to my interpretation, it should be 
included with disorders of the nervous system, the initial 
lesion being hardening of the nerves, sclerosis, and this 
interpretation is fully confirmed by medical treatment, as 
suggested. The following report of a case was made up during 
the latter part of 1908, and I have made it a point to keep 
track of the patient since that time with a view to confirm 
or disprove the above deduction: 

Raynaud's disease is frequently, but not always symmetrical, 
as illustrated in the following case; A year ago last November 
I prescribed for Mrs. S., aged 77, and apparently in robust 
health, who complained of numbness and "bleaching" of the 
index and second fingers of the right hand. This condition has 
been present for several years, and I was asked to prescribe 
for her — if anything could be done. The patient lives at some 
distance, and I did not see her again until a year later, when 
she told me that the medicine I had given her (iodo-calcium), 
had caused the numbness and discoloration to disappear, and 
that there was no indication of its return until mid-summer — 
July. 

Since making the above record, I did not see the patient 
until September, 1910, when she again consulted me, giving 
the following history: 

For at least a year past, she has suffered more or less dis- 
comfort in the throat; she locates the trouble at the root of the 
tongue. It seems that there is more or less constant pain with 
occasional sharp twinges. The ability to turn the head is 
somewhat impaired, because the neck is stiff, and besides, the 
patient is unable to walk with comfort or safety; hence, it is 
necessary when she goes from home that she has some one to 
accompany her. During this time, the patient has had advice 
from several physicians, besides a specialist, and I am told that 
a thorough examination shows no disorder of the membranes 
which would account for the persistence of the malady. Local 
treatment has been persisted in for the greater part of the 
time, sprays and gargles, but no internal medication has been 
advised. 



LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA 291 

Treatment in this case was precisely the same as that carried 
out at the time she suffered from numbness of the fingers, and 
as a result, the pain and discomfort in the throat, as well as 
the difficulty in using the tongue, disappeared entirely in ten 
days, but for some occult reason it settled in the back of the 
neck. However, the patient continued taking the medicine 
for a few days longer, until one day she experienced a peculiar 
nervous sensation, she called it a "shock," and after that the 
pain disappeared from the neck. She reported two months 
later, that there had been no return of the malady, and remarked 
especially in regard to her ability to go about attending to her 
household duties, visiting and shopping, without a companion. 
As to the "shock," my impression is that it resulted from rees- 
tablishment of the nerve conduction, an incident which has 
occurred in other cases. 

Motor and Sensory Nerves. — Efferent or motor nerves 
carry impulses from the central nervous system to various 
parts of the body, while afferent (sensory) nerves transmit 
sensation to the central nervous system. 

Morbid Reflexes. — When the nerve centers are obtunded, 
as in magnesium infiltration, the failure or inability to 
transmit motor and sensory impulses is indicated by what 
are termed "morbid reflexes" — the reactions being greatly 
exaggerated, or absent entirely. A normal reflex action is 
an afferent impulse followed by an efferent impulse inde- 
pendent of the central nervous system — a blow on the solar 
plexus inhibits (stops), the heart; a light tap on the tendon 
below the knee-cap, the leg being flexed, causes a reflex 
efferent (motor), impulse, when the foot is raised. Generally 
it is most convenient to test this reaction as an aid to diag- 
nosis, when there is a suspicion of magnesium infiltration, 
because this test shows the condition of the nerve supply; 
when this reflex is abnormal, it is possible to discover other 
evidences to confirm or disprove the diagnosis of magnesium 
infiltration. 

Locomotor Ataxia. — Thus, in locomotor ataxia the posterior 
columns of the cord are involved, leading to loss of sensation 



292 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

and muscular incoordination, the patient being unable to 
stand with the eyes closed — or walk a straight line with the 
eyes open. In paresis, there is hardening of the brain tissues, 
with corresponding degenerative changes in the cord, and in 
both locomotor ataxia and paresis, we find associated degener- 
ative changes in the arterial system, progressive in character. 
That such hardening (sclerosis), and other degenerative 
changes, are due, directly, during their incipiency at least, 
to magnesium infiltration, is not difficult to prove in the 
abstract, concrete, illustrative cases being available in the 
clientele of nearly every physician in general practice. 

Analysis of a typical case falling within this category will 
give a history of intestinal indigestion with acid excess, 
associated with or followed by mental hebetude or symptoms 
of mental incoordination and consecutive physical debility. 
The subject seems prematurely aged, and at first resorts 
to stimulants, strychnine or alcoholics, to overcome the 
depression. These methods failing, as fail they must, the 
patient is advised to seek rest and change of scene, and 
finally, a sanitarium is recommended — the treatment carried 
out in these institutions being merely a series of fruitless 
experiments. 

Incipient Paresis. — The characteristic symptoms of incipient 
paresis lead naturally to a diagnosis of nervous prostration, 
and the patient is passed through all the various stages of 
treatment, not only without hope, but without benefit. 
Indeed, the patient's nervous state is such that hope and 
fear are so inextricably mingled that they cannot know 
what course is best to pursue. 

Nervous Prostration. — The following case well illustrates 
the simple, purposeless, or vegetative existence of a person 
subject to nervous prostration: 

The patient, an unmarried lady, upward of fifty years of 
age, has been employed in office work for quite a number of 
years. The responsibility is heavy, owing to the necessity for 
accuracy in looking after details, and although she had special 
advantages by way of vacations and lessened duties, she was 



NERVOUS PROSTRATION 293 

finally compelled to relinquish her position. At the first and 
only consultation, it was learned that the patient had been 
under constant medical treatment, both before giving up work, 
and for six months, while waiting for providential interference. 
A brief, superficial examination showed increased reflex (knee- 
jerk), indicating involvement of the motor nerves, and intensely 
acid salivary reaction — evidence of intestinal indigestion. This 
latter condition was fully confirmed by the gas-distended abdo- 
men, while the facial expression showed anxiety and fear — she 
was so afraid that her absence from home would be discovered, 
when she would be compelled to give an account of her absence. 
As further evidence of uncertainty and timidity, the patient 
insisted that the directions for treatment should be written 
out, because of her poor memory. 

Treatment was limited to restoration of the digestive capa- 
city, and neutralization of the acid excess by means of the 
measures previously outlined. The usual instructions were 
given regarding diet, liquids being restricted, with milk and 
eggs excluded, and as a result, a few days later, she applied for 
her former position, and was reinstated within a week from the 
time she began treatment — where she has remained for nearly 
six years. 

Under favorable conditions in respect to diet, occupa- 
tion and environment, nervous prostration should not 
develop until late in life, say three score years and ten. 
The following case is placed on record, therefore, as a 
typical example of the disorder — and besides, it shows the 
fatuous efforts of modern skill in attempting to ameliorate 
or relieve the deviation from normal. 

Mrs. W., aged 69, married, and the mother of a grown-up 
family, has been a semi-invalid for at least a year past, and 
previous to the first visit in September, she had been confined 
to bed for nearly three months — in order to secure rest and 
regain strength. Unfortunately, however, the "rest" treatment 
has not proven satisfactory; the patient has a poor appetite, 
suffers from insomnia — owing to intestinal indigestion, and 



294 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

usually wakes up every morning about three o'clock, after which 
she is unable to sleep. The most formidable symptom in this 
case relates to the central nervous system; the patient is rather 
slow in her conversation; she finds it difficult at times to secure 
or pronounce the right word, and the entire left side during the 
last six months has shown well marked symptoms of paralysis. 

She walks lame, and when an attempt is made to encourage 
her by congratulating her upon her apparently good physical 
condition, she becomes extremely nervous, tears come to her 
eyes, the lips quiver, and the chin begins to shake, all going 
to show that there is some profound disorder which interferes 
with the uninterrupted transmission of nerve impulses. Still, 
there has been no immediate or marked change in her condition 
for at least six months; in other words, typical cases of nervous 
prostration are stationary or progressive, and further, they 
are not amenable to rest coupled with the ordinary methods 
of treatment. 

Examination of the patient shows normal temperature and 
respiration, the pulse is 70 beats per minute, receding in char- 
acter, but the most noticeable factor in this case relates to the 
salivary reaction — it is very strongly acid. Involvement of 
the nerve structures is further confirmed by the exaggerated 
reflex of the legs. 

Treatment in this case ordinarily would include medication 
for correcting the intestinal indigestion, but inquiry developed 
that this difficulty was probably due to unsuitable food, the 
dietary being principally liquids, including both cereals and 
crackers. To overcome this difficulty, the patient was advised 
to take no liquids until the end of the meal, cereals and crackers 
were interdicted, and in addition to this, she was advised to 
drink freely midway between meals, and at bed-hour, and as 
an aid to secure the faithful compliance with these instructions, 
she received the alkaline-saline treatment, which in itself 
creates a moderate thirst, and at the same time neutralizes 
acidity. 

However, this alone would not be sufficient to effect mag- 
nesium dissociation — special treatment was demanded for 
which the indications were clear and distinct. This patient 



NERVOUS PROSTRATION 295 

returned two weeks later with the report that the indigestion 
had disappeared; that the insomnia had also vanished; in fact, 
the patient felt the need of an after-dinner nap, and slept all 
night besides. All symptoms of aphasia had disappeared, and 
power on the left side had become normal, so that the patient 
was able to use the left hand and leg as fully as before the 
attack of illness. She seemed rather put out that she had to 
make this visit, because she claimed that it was entirely unneces- 
sary, she felt perfectly well, and was able to attend to her house- 
hold and social duties without any further assistance. 

The following record presents an interesting case of 
nervous prostration, the patient being a man 65 years of 
age, who first consulted me some years ago for multiple 
neuritis. I quote extracts from a friendly communication 
(February, 1910): 

" After three months and a half of suffering and worthlessness, 
I feel that I am again coming to life. I have had no pains in 
my head since last Friday, and the day before yesterday 
(Monday), I resumed my work and am now able to give more 
than supervisory attention to my duties without causing the 
pain to return. 

"I owe my improvement to electricity and rest. I have a 
'home' battery and have used it three times a week, taking 
the current through my feet and hands, and along the spine. 
I need not tell you, therefore, how or why the excessive flow 
of blood to the brain was stopped. . . . The cloudy 
feeling about my brain has disappeared, but I am afraid to 
do any consecutive thinking. ,, 

Cases of this character are usually difficult to handle, 
and the long period of illness confirms this statement. By 
studying the chemic problem in nutrition, we can usually 
secure immediate and marked improvement. That is, 
treatment should be conducted for the purpose of promoting 
magnesium dissociation, and acting upon this plan, the 
medicinal supplies were sent direct. In the course of a 



296 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

week, the patient sent a reply together with a report of his 
condition, as follows: 

"I thank you very much for your note, and am happy to 
report great improvement in consequence of the medicines 
sent me. I discontinued them yesterday, having taken them 
for four days, and am feeling better than I have at any time 
since last October. The improvement is not merely in my head, 
but is general, and I have been more like myself for two days 
past. I now go home after a sure enough day's work with some 
life in me." 

Treatment in this case included small doses of calcium iodide 
together with chloride of gold and sodium. 

Abstract and Concrete Evidence. — As an abstract propo- 
sition in this case, we had to deal with chemic transformation, 
magnesium oxide combining with the organic colloids of the 
nerve structures — to interfere with the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of nerve impulses. Theoretically, this deviation 
will be ameliorated by rest, because magnesium oxide is 
soluble in weak solutions of carbon dioxide, but the accumu- 
lation of carbon dioxide would have little if any effect upon 
the new chemic combination already formed. Neither could 
water-drinking be expected to effect any considerable change 
in the secondary assimilation — rather the contrary. Exer- 
cise should be classed with rest, since it increases oxidation 
and favors elimination, but neither does it affect the chemic 
combinations referred to; hence, the necessity for waiting 
Micawber-like, for something to turn up. As the girl said 
to the cautious young chap who wanted to kiss her — "Why 
speculate on probabilities when it is so easy to secure exact 
data?" 

Concrete evidence confirming the abstract proposition — 
in other words, "exact data" — is to be found by analysis 
of the plan of treatment — restore the digestive capacity, to 
prevent further decomposition and fermentation in the 
intestinal tract, coupled with alkaline-saline medication to 
neutralize acid excess and maintain as far as possible the 



SCLEROSIS 297 

normal alkalescence of the body fluids and tissues. By 
restoring the normal conditions incident to metabolism, we 
reestablish active tissue change, when the abnormal chemic 
combinations are promptly dissolved and dissipated, and 
that too, without unnecessary delay. 

However, when the abnormal conditions persist, as in 
neuralgia, neuritis, and notably in diseases of bone, recourse 
must be had to remedial agents which directly promote 
magnesium dissociation, either according to the law of 
mass action or by means of chemicals which dissolve and 
disintegrate the deposits by solution of the organic con- 
stituents — the inert inorganic matter then passes into the 
general circulation, to be eliminated through the usual 
channels. 

Senile Changes. — As a rule, senile changes are first indi- 
cated by disorders of the circulation, calcareous degenera- 
tion (arterio-sclerosis), affecting the arteries, with increased 
tension, embarrassment of the heart and imperfect blood 
supply, but this is only a part of the morbid complexus, 
hardening of the nerves (sclerosis), and imperfect nerve 
supply (conduction), being constantly associated. In truth, 
it appears difficult to say which is primary, arterio-sclerosis 
or sclerosis of the nerves, although clinical observation 
points to hardening of the nerves as the initial and dominant 
factor. This deduction is warranted by reason of the bril- 
liant results attending the treatment of pre-senility, where 
it is assumed that chemic changes, due to the action of 
magnesium oxide, have impaired function and thus inter- 
fered with nutrition — by causing contraction of the arterioles 
with increased arterial pressure. This deduction is not only 
logical, but it is in accord with scientific research and 
clinical observation — nerve section causes contraction of 
the blood vessels. 

Sclerosis. — When sclerosis affects the trophic nerves, we 
have gangrene; involving the brain structures, we have 
endarteritis, a blood-clot or actual rupture of the vessel, 
with paralysis; if the nerve supply of the fiver suffers, there 
is disordered function — with glycosuria, jaundice or inflam- 



298 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

mation; as a result of sclerosis affecting the nerve supply of 
the heart, various symptoms arise, chiefly motor in char- 
acter, since the vis a tergo is diminished, causing an imperfect 
blood supply to the brain — in such cases, undue excitement, 
over-exertion, or even an attack of indigestion, is liable to 
precipitate heart failure, the organ being insulated, a short- 
circuit; sclerosis affecting the nerve supply of the kidneys 
gives rise to degenerative changes in these organs, because 
arterio-sclerosis proceeds pari passu with the degenerative 
changes in the nerve structures. 

Prevention or Cure. — Having now studied briefly the morbid 
conditions incident to sclerosis of the nerves, it remains to 
be determined what preexisting conditions are responsible 
for its appearance, and what means, if any, are available 
for prevention or cure. 

In view of the almost universal prevalence of disorders 
of this class, coupled with the alertness of scientists con- 
stantly delving into the mysteries of nature, the task appears 
herculean, but when studied from the viewpoint of the chemic 
problem in nutrition, the solution is almost ready at hand — 
intestinal indigestion with defective secondary assimilation 
and coincident acid excess, leading to certain chemic changes 
in the nerve structures, magnesium deposits being the initial, 
if not the causative factor. 

Prevention is possible in direct ratio with our ability to 
correct the disordered primary assimilation and overcome 
the tendency to acid excess, while a cure is produced or 
secured by promoting magnesium dissociation — three distinct 
lines of treatment, the demand for each to be determined 
by the conditions presenting. Still, the clinical side of the 
question is not always an open book, assuming that the 
medical attendant honestly desires to secure to his patient 
the most prompt results, owing to the formidable character 
of intercurrent complications, but attention to either of 
the three dominant factors never fails to show favorable 
results — there is improvement in that special direction. 

Agraphia. — There recently came under observation a case 
of agraphia which fairly illustrates the principles advanced 



AGRAPHIA 299 

relating to magnesium infiltration as the dominant factor in 
sclerosis. 

The patient, a medical friend, 81 years of age, called to get 
a suggestion regarding the employment of a suitable "tonic" 
to overcome the tremulousness (palsy), affecting his right hand 
— said he was unable to sign checks. In addition to agraphia, 
there was at times more or less aphasia — he found himself 
unable to pronounce words — and the general condition, both 
mental and physical, indicated a complete breakdown as *a 
result of sclerosis incident to senility. He said he had to think 
about his steps, and necessarily walked with great caution. 

This patient is even now engaged in office practice, the vege- 
tative functions are in normal condition, there has been no 
suspicious headaches, and the only history of illness dates 
back fifteen years, when two grains of corn lodged in the 
duodenum, causing considerable discomfort and alarm at the 
time. However, the obstruction passed via naturales, when 
the symptoms rapidly disappeared. 

The present difficulty appeared following an accident — 
when a book-case toppled over on him, rendering him uncon- 
scious, how long, he is unable to say. The pulse was small in 
volume, unduly tense, about sixty beats per minute and regular; 
and the salivary reaction distinctly acid, simply the usual 
conditions found in such cases. 

Treatment consisted in the employment of his favorite 
tonic, chloride of gold and sodium, together with small doses of 
iodo-calcium, approximately yV grain of iodine in the form of 
a decinormal trituration, three times a day between meals. 

Of course, alkaline-saline treatment was clearly demanded, 
but withheld in this instance, because of the lack of confidence 
on the part of the patient. Although it was definitely explained 
that the disorder was due to beginning sclerosis affecting 
Broca's convolution, the motor centre for speech in right-handed 
people, the patient was firm in his belief that his trouble came 
from an injury sustained at the time of the accident. 

In the course of a couple of weeks, the doctor called to say 
that he was all right again; it was then suggested that the 



300 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

symptoms of defective elimination of bile required attention, 
succinate of soda being agreed upon. 

A few weeks later, the patient called to complain that 
the malady was progressive, that he was even worse than 
at first, insisting that the outlook was very unfavorable. 
He was keen, however, to resume the iodo-calcium, because 
he could readily perceive the direct benefits. At this visit, 
we canvassed the disadvantages of the continuous acid 
excess, a strenuous effort being made to show that no 
decided and permanent results could be secured without 
reestablishing as far as possible the normal alkalescence of 
the body fluids and tissues. Although the suggestion was 
new and novel, the doctor was disposed to regard the 
explanation as plausible, so we compromised on alkaline- 
saline treatment to neutralize acid excess, with iodo-calcium 
to promote magnesium dissociation, f grain of iodine in the 
form of a decinormal trituration to be taken three times a 
day — between meals. 

The above record refers to October 14, 1910, the last 
report, until I called him on the telephone, January 11, 1911, 
a period of three months, when the doctor said the agraphia 
symptoms had promptly disappeared under the treatment 
advised. 

In this connection, I should mention that at the last date the 
patient reported having had an attack of "la grippe" which had 
left him with an irregular heart action, and he had been unable 
to leave the house for two weeks. Believing this heart difficulty 
to be due to magnesium infiltration affecting the nerve supply 
of that organ (a typical magnesia heart), I suggested that the 
same treatment would prove as effective here as in the case of 
agraphia — and it did. The patient reported over the telephone 
three days later that he was "all right;" that he felt fine the 
next day after beginning treatment. 

As will be seen, this hypothesis simplifies medical practice 
in a marked degree. It corresponds with the precision in the 
addition and subtraction of fractions — after reducing to a 



APHASIA 301 

common denominator, or the proving of an algebraic problem 
— after determining the value of the unknown quantity. In all 
such cases, the suppositious unknown quantities, x, y, and z, 
are known, and their relative, if not their absolute value, may 
be determined by a critical study of the chemic problem in 
nutrition. 

Within a few days, the doctor called at the office, having 
made a fairly good recovery from the "grippe." He said, when 
he began taking the tablets last week, he felt better in a few 
minutes after the first dose. His daughter, coming in shortly 
afterward, felt his pulse, said it was much better and asked 
if he had taken anything. Pulse intermits irregularly, about 
twice each minute. The salivary reaction is slightly acid and 
the patient seems to understand fully the significance of acid 
excess, but evidently does not believe it — thinks he should take 
the iodo-calcium more frequently. 

The above case is given in detail for the reason that it is 
difficult to convince the general practitioner that these 
teachings are fundamental in character and will bear critical 
investigation — in the laboratory and at the bed-side. 

Aphasia. — Loss of the power of speech is known as aphasia 
and is so closely allied to agraphia that both may be con- 
veniently studied together. Aphasia may present itself in 
various forms, such as lack of memory for words (amnesic), 
inability to articulate words (motor), and inability to 
remember or understand words, the latter being designated 
sensory aphsaia. 

Of course, these different varieties or types are not found 
distinct, since they are usually seen overlapping each other, 
and besides, the serious character of the lesion is usually 
indicated by the degree or intensity of the symptoms. For 
example, in some cases, the patient will make prompt 
recovery, while in other instances, the deviation from 
normal persists for months, and to all appearances, the 
lesion is permanent, but the important fact should not 
be overlooked that both aphasia and agraphia are local 
manifestations of a constitutional diathesis. As in the case 



302 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

mentioned, the attack of la grippe had shifted the symptoms 
of debility from the brain to the nerve supply of the 
heart. 

Perhaps the first and most conspicuous instance of 
aphasia on record is to be found in the Bible — " the confusion 
of tongues" at the building of the Tower of Babel. In the 
Parable of the Prodigal Son, we also have symptoms of 
aphasia, when he "came to himself/' and the peculiar 
characteristics of this malady, in connection with a dual 
personality, have been carefully woven into a most fascin- 
ating novel by the prince of word painters, Robert Louis 
Stevenson — Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

More recently, other stories of like character with aphasia 
as a pivot have appeared, principally associated with the 
exploits of detectives, such as Conan Doyle's elaborate 
studies covering the investigations of Sherlock Holmes. 
Still, the stories relating to aphasia are not all imaginary; 
in fact, to state the truth, the cases occurring in real life are 
even stronger than those which are produced in fiction. 

Thus, we have a record of a young woman who experienced 
lapses of memory, during which time her dual personality con- 
ducted herself in a most unbecoming manner. Finally, to 
escape disgrace, she arranged every detail for committing 
suicide, and was only prevented from the rash act by her other 
self, " Sallie," who realized that this suicide would mean death 
to her also. After that sad experience the patient made a 
complete recovery. 

Another case is that of a Rhode Island clergyman, who strayed 
from home, took a new name, and finally wound up in a little 
town in Pennsylvania, where he established himself in business. 
Several weeks later, he, too, like the prodigal son, " came to him- 
self," and was greatly surprised to find himself in a strange 
town with a new name, selling goods over the counter instead 
of spreading the Gospel from the pulpit. 

To show that these cases are not confined to hysterical women, 
another instance, which occurred recently, is placed on record, 
that of a Philadelphian, who strayed into the police head- 



APHASIA 303 

quarters in Jersey City late in December. 1910., and asked the 
lieutenant in charge the name of the city, saying he was lost. He 
did not know his name, but had papers in his pocket which 
showed that he was a Philadelphia contractor, and that even 
then he had contracts for work aggregating $80,000. He had 
been wandering about for two days, but could give no consecu- 
tive account of his movements. Later, he recalled that he was 
married, gave his wife"s name; said he had three daughters, and 
he also stated the business in which he was engaged, the number 
of men he employed, and finally admitted that he had been 
sticking very close to business, and that the doctor had told 
him so. He had plenty of money in his pocket, but did not 
know how or where he got it. 

Within a few days after the above was written there appeared 
in the newspapers an interesting account of a typical case of 
dual personality — that of a lawyer, 35 years of age. a State 
official, counsel for a prominent railroad, editor and owner of a 
country newspaper and well rated financially in his own town; 
he had been three times arrested in Baltimore for begging on 
the streets. When asked by the Justice why he did this, he is 
reported to have said: "I don't know. At times something 
comes over me and I cannot resist it. Then I go out on the 
street and beg money from the people. My other self simply 
got the best of me," 

These records will go far to show the peculiar, intricate. 
and delicate character of the sense which we understand as 
nerve conduction. They will show how the motor and 
sensory nerves may be obtunded or obsessed, together with 
possible deflections from normal as a result of chemic devia- 
tions involving the inorganic proximate principles. Further- 
more, it is believed that these recorded cases will serve to 
point directly to the cause, through the ettects of medical 
treatment conducted for the special purpose of removing 
the obstruction to the uninterrupted transmission of nerve 
impulses. In other words, we reestablish nerve conduction 
by dissolving or dissociating the insulation. 



304 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

A case is recalled which is more typical of the disorder as 
generally seen at the present day. During the winter of 1903- 
04, I was consulted by a merchant, 55 years of age, who gave 
a fairly complete record of progressive aphasia, together with 
agraphia, which had resisted the most approved methods of treat- 
ment for a long time. The attacks of aphasia would come on 
while he was talking with any one, either socially or on matters 
relating to business, and when engaged in writing — he used the 
typewriter — he would be unable to proceed with his work. When 
these attacks came on, of course, the only thing he could do was 
to stop; he found by experience that it was much better for him 
to make no effort, either to write or talk, when the interruptions 
in nerve conduction manifested themselves. 

This, however, was not the most serious difficulty. He would 
have recurring attacks of illness, great depression, headache, 
insomnia, and it was necessary for him to remain in bed, and 
although he always had medical attendants, there was no per- 
ceptible or apparent direct benefit derived from medication. 
These attacks varied in severity; sometimes he would be laid 
up for a week perhaps, and then again, he would be away from 
business for a month or longer, and as a consequence, he became 
very much concerned about the outlook, although no neur- 
asthenic element developed. The man was thoroughly prac- 
tical, and had learned to take a purely philosophic view of 
the situation. He felt, however, that it was only a question 
of time when he would have to give up his business entirely. 

During a period of six months, I saw him perhaps three or 
four times, and as a result of treatment in accordance with the 
plans here outlined, there was a very considerable improvement, 
although the aphasia and agraphia still persisted. During the 
following year I saw him less frequently, but treatment was 
conducted somewhat irregularly by correspondence, with the 
result that the recurrent attacks of prostration subsided. 

The last attack of this character occurred about two years 
after the first visit. It was not severe, but I happened to find 
him in bed suffering from the usual symptoms and rather 
dubious as to the outlook. At this time I prescribed the usual 
remedies employed to neutralize acidity and promote magne- 



OLD AGE 305 

sium dissociation, with the result that he recovered sufficiently 
to get about in the course of a few days, and was attending to 
his regular business within a week. Practically, no special 
treatment has been carried out since that time. The serious 
attacks have not recurred, and the symptoms of aphasia and 
agraphia rarely manifest themselves. Instead of giving up 
his regular business, he has engaged extensively in outside 
ventures, even taking the responsibility of management in 
more than one commercial undertaking, all of these efforts 
having been exceptionally successful. 

Later, this gentleman gave me some interesting details 
relating to the critical condition attending his earlier attacks. 
He was prostrated and lying in bed, unable to speak or write, 
the attending physician together with other consultants, 
were discussing his case, supposing him to be unconscious — 
although he understood fully everything that was said. 
When the leading consultant declared there was no hope for 
recovery, he said to himself, "Old man, I'll fool you yet, 
because I am going to get well." 

Old Age. — In confirmation of the foregoing deductions, let 
us take as an illustration a typical case of old age — and it is 
assumed that calcareous degeneration is well advanced at the 
age of eighty-six. 

A medical man became very much interested in the theory 
of magnesium infiltration, and in our conversation, asked if it 
might be a factor in his father's case. He said it was sad to 
see his father giving way as a consequence of advancing senility. 
Always active and energetic, within a year or two the evidences 
of advancing age were appearing fast — he was "tottery" on 
his feet, uncertain in his gait, unable to converse upon any 
well known topic consecutively, and yet from a physical 
standpoint, his health was all that could be desired. 

Under the classification adopted, this case belongs to the 

third division, magnesium united with calcium. In accordance 

with the working hypothesis, however, it overlaps with chemic 

transformation, the second division, the initial deviation being 

20 



306 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

due to sclerosis of the nerves as a result of the chemic action of 
magnesium oxide upon these organic colloids. Consecutive to 
this, we have deposits of lime in the arterial walls — and more 
magnesium. The vessels are diminished in caliber, there is an 
imperfect blood supply to the tissues, while both motor and 
sensory impulses are impeded, owing to the electro-plating 
process which has taken place in the nerve structures. 

Preliminary treatment was advised for the purpose of 
effecting solution of the lime deposits, small doses of aromatic 
sulphuric acid well diluted in water, this to be followed in ten 
days by alkaline-saline treatment. It was suggested at the 
time that barring accidents, calcareous degeneration might be 
delayed, and further sclerosis of the nerve structures arrested, 
by recourse to alkaline-saline medication from time to time, 
with a view to maintaining the normal alkalescence of the body 
fluids and tissues. 

Although the advice was given seven years ago, and I 
had not seen the patient, reports have reached me that he 
has enjoyed exceptionally good health, and now, nearly 
ninety-three years of age, is still in the enjoyment of all 
his faculties. 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM— Continued. 

Why is Laziness? 

Neuritis (Clinical Reports) — Causative Factors — Mercurialism. 

WHY IS LAZINESS? 

It seems stupid to ask so simple a question, and yet there 
is such a diversity of opinion upon this subject that it is 
worth while to consider the question in its various bearings. 
There is a general belief among scientists as well as on the 
part of the laity that the love of work and activity is an 
acquired rather than a natural tendency — this deduction 
being based upon the generally accepted view that human 
tendency is along the line of least resistance. 

While these popular notions may seem warranted and 
applicable in some instances, it is very doubtful if this 
supposition can be established as a reliable criterion. 
Undoubtedly, this is true in general of different races and 
ancient tribes, but it evidently fails to convince the careful 
observer when applied to civilized people — this being shown 
beyond question in the marvelous achievements which have 
taken place, not only in this country, but in all other 
civilized nations. 

Still, it must be admitted that laziness does obtain in a 
greater or less degree in every country; in fact, there is an 
indefinite percentage of lazy people the world over, and it 
is well known that many persons who are normally active, 
industrious, enthusiastic and progressive, including inventors 
teachers, bankers, merchants and ministers, experience 
attacks of indisposition or laziness. Hence, the inquiry 
takes on peculiar significance. Laziness being admitted and 
a reasonable excuse advanced, it behooves us to make an 
inquiry as to the fundamental causes for its appearance — 
in other words, the question is— How is laziness? 



308 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Starting with the proposition or premise that laziness is 
essentially an evidence of lack of energy, we should make 
inquiry as to the original source of energy. M. Ribot — 
Institut de France — a well known medical scientist and 
speculative philosopher, has put this question in a very 
practical form, suggesting that energy is dependent upon 
two widely separate causes; that is, energy occurs or develops 
in two different forms, the one internal, such as foods, the 
other external, such as sensorial excitations. While this 
statement seems to be practical, it is still not available as 
an aid in our efforts to determine why laziness occurs, nor 
how it occurs. It will, therefore, be convenient to study 
the question from the two different standpoints, viz., 
potential energy and freed energy. 

In other words, we must endeavor to discover, if possible, 
what interferes with potential energy to inhibit freed energy 
and produce laziness. Evidently, the defect lies in this 
direction, and if we can determine with a reasonable degree 
of precision what interferes with or impedes potential 
energy, we shall establish the fundamental basis for the 
appearance of laziness. In short, we shall be able to say 
just how laziness develops. 

M. Ribot refers incidentally to the arguments which have 
been hitherto advanced to account for the vice of laziness. 
For example, moralists claim that laziness is due to lack of 
will power and that education is competent to deal with 
it. He also says that the psychologist has advanced the 
argument that laziness is of organic as well as mental origin. 
Furthermore, he states that scientists have discovered in 
such instances a lack of tonicity in the system, that the heart 
beats were weak and that arterial pressure was low. Such 
being the case, our scientific friends claim that laziness is 
due to lack of nourishment, the brain being imperfectly 
supplied with blood. 

In this connection, he cautiously points to the possible 
tendency in the quality of blood which makes prohibitive 
any continued energy and concentration, and this theory 
seems to be well founded, because we often find these 



WHY IS LAZINESS 309 

patients suffering from anemia, although apparently well 
nourished. It is evident, however, that something tangible 
in every physical make-up inhibits the potential energy, 
so that they present all the usual symptoms of laziness. 

Recent investigations by physiologic chemists have 
thrown a flood of light upon this important inquiry, by 
showing that chemic deviations in the nervous system are 
responsible for the physical depression as well as for the 
lack of capacity for mental concentration, and it is not 
difficult to understand how laziness may be brought about 
by what may be termed chemic deviations in the body 
fluids and tissues. 

The human organism resembles in some respects the 
electric battery; having potential energy, it produces the 
current and this continues until the fluid is neutralized, 
when the current gradually ceases. Familiar examples are 
seen in the case of telephone and telegraph wires, where 
exhaustion of the potential energy results in failure to trans- 
mit the usual sounds. So it is with the human organism. 
Derangement arising from defective assimilation, primary 
and secondary, gives rise to an excess of acid in the system. 
This acid excess, of course, diminishes the alkalinity of the 
blood and hinders its capacity for carrying oxygen, so that 
oxidation is lessened, waste products accumulate, and thus in- 
terfere with the uninterrupted transmission of nerve impulses. 

It will be apparent, therefore, that this condition may 
appear at any age, and thus produce the usual symptoms of 
laziness, although M. Ribot advances the theory that there 
is a certain analogy between the inertia of the so-called 
lazy man and that of the aged individual. In fact, he says 
that laziness is a kind of anticipated old age, although in 
this conclusion he is evidently in error. The fact is that 
laziness in early life arises from the causes stated, while the 
laziness of old age is due to senile decay with evidences of 
crystallization of the inorganic principles. In youth and 
adult life, it is quite possible to correct the "habit," while 
in advanced age, it is impossible to re-create or regenerate 
the wasted and infirm tissues. 



310 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

While the chemic problem in nutrition is rather abstruse 
to the layman, to the physician it is readily comprehensible. 
For example, one of the first tests to determine the physical 
condition of the patient, that is, the status of the potential 
energy, is to test the saliva with blue litmus paper. Should 
this chemic test give an acid reaction — turn the blue litmus 
paper red, light pink, or bright pink — he knows that his 
patient suffers from an excess of acid, and like an electric 
battery, the nerve impulses are not properly and promptly 
transmitted. In other words, the excessive acidity of the 
body fluids has interfered with nerve conduction, and as a 
matter of fact, the patient feels indisposed, lacks mental 
concentration, and is averse to physical exertion. 

Next in order, he will test the reflexes; that is, he will ask 
the patient to put one leg over the other, and then gently 
tap the tendon just below the knee-cap. Acid excess will 
then show that the reflexes are exaggerated, impaired, or 
absent altogether, and these evidences prove that the above 
statement is correct, that there is impairment in nerve 
conduction. 

Examination of the heart will further confirm this state- 
ment. The action of this organ will be found lacking in 
rhythm and the contractions incomplete, so that the blood 
is not properly distributed throughout the system. This is 
further shown by feebleness of the pulse, evidence that 
there is lack of compensation, due to failure in the potential 
energy. It is similar to the condition found in mechanics. 
When the piston in the cylinder does not "cushion" properly 
it shows that there is lack of steam pressure. 

So we might proceed almost indefinitely to point out the 
defects arising from lack of compensation or failure in the 
potential energy as a result of the chemic deviations in 
the body fluids and tissues, but this deviation to which 
we have referred is the beginning rather than the end of 
the trouble. The presence of acid in excess gives rise to 
chemic deviations affecting the inorganic principles, such 
as lime and magnesia. Lime being the stronger base, 
combines readily with the acid, by which process it is 



WHY IS LAZINESS 311 

eliminated from the body tissues, magnesium taking its 
place. 

Thus, we have abnormal tissues, including nerve tissues, 
which have been depleted of their lime content, and unfor- 
tunately, replacement by magnesia, which is a non-conductor, 
interferes with the transmission of the electric current, the 
energy upon which the transmission of nerve impulses 
depends, so that we have to deal with magnesium infiltra- 
tion. When this condition involves the nerve supply of 
the heart, it diminishes compensation; when it involves the 
brain, the magnesium deposits render concentration diffi- 
cult, and may produce symptoms of paralysis even in young 
persons and those of middle life. We have examples of 
this following severe attacks of disease, such as diphtheria, 
scarlet fever, pneumonia and influenza. In the latter 
case, it is not unusual to find the patient seriously affected 
through this abnormal deviation, manifested by recurrent 
attacks of neuralgia, persistent neuritis, or possibly sciatica. 
In the case of children suffering from summer complaint, or 
even simple fever, we have infantile paralysis, for which 
there is no known remedy at the present time. 

The successful treatment of these cases is likely to prove 
an interesting experience in the near future, from the fact 
that we now understand how the disorder is produced, what 
chemic deviations take place, and by proper measures we 
shall be able to neutralize the acid condition, at the same 
time employing suitable chemicals for the purpose of pro- 
moting magnesium dissociation according to the principles 
laid down in chemic text-books. 

Finally, the disorders mentioned should be regarded as 
extreme evidences that chemic deviation is responsible for 
the more moderate symptoms recognized as laziness, brought 
about through attacks of disease. The distinction relates 
to differences in degree rather than in kind, and as a mere 
curiosity, it is a very simple matter for any one who feels 
that he is indisposed or lazy to test the salivary reaction as 
well as the reflexes. 

This deduction may be popularized by means of a quaint 



312 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

parody of an ancient and well known weather proverb, now 
recognized as a scientific fact and due to convection and 
radiation 

"Evening red and morning gray 
Help the traveller on his way; 
Evening gray and morning red 
Bring down rain upon his head." 

Saliva red and reflex gay 

You know disease is on its way; 
Reaction blue and reflex norm 

You'll wake in health the following morn. 

NEURITIS. 

For the purpose of showing concrete examples, confirming 
the claim for simplicity and efficiency, a limited number of 
typical cases are presented. 

Under date of May 4, 1910, a gentleman, 46 years of age, 
and apparently in good health, consulted me for neuritis affect- 
ing the right arm and hand. The disorder had been present 
for a period of three months, and during the six weeks preceding 
this visit, he had received osteo-therapy, two or three treat- 
ments each week, but without any apparent improvement, 
except as to the digestion. Treatment in this instance covered 
three distinct indications: Hepatin for the impaired digestive 
capacity, alkaline-saline to neutralize acid excess, and calcium 
sulphate (gypsum) to promote magnesium dissociation, the 
latter treatment being determined upon, owing to the patient's 
nervous make-up. 

The patient resides some distance from the office, nearly 
200 miles, and of course, it was not practical for him to make 
daily visits. He was requested to write after treatment had 
been continued for a period of two weeks, and the following 
extract from his letter, dated May 18, will serve to show the 
correctness of the therapeutic diagnosis : He says : 

" The first let-up came Saturday, the 7th. Soon, was it not? 
I have pain the major portion of the time, but not nearly so 
severe. I am very grateful." 



NEURITIS 313 

Further treatment was prescribed, and the second letter, 
written on June 1, gives the following information: 

"The pain in my right arm has entirely disappeared. My 
two fingers and thumb have a slightly dead and tingling sensa- 
tion, and occasionally my forearm feels as though seltzer 
water was being injected therein. Aside from this, I think 
my arm is in normal condition." 

Upon receiving this communication, a slight change was 
made in the treatment, the hepatin tablet being discontinued, 
and calcium carbonate substituted for the calcium sulphate, the 
alkaline-saline treatment being continued. Up to the present 
writing, over a year and a half later, there has been no return 
of any symptoms. 

In the spring of 1909 I was asked to prescribe for a case of 
neuritis involving the fingers of the right hand, the pain being 
almost insufferable at night, so that it was absolutely impossible 
to obtain needed rest. The patient is a farmer, about 40 years 
of age, apparently in good health, and this disorder seriously 
interfered with his work, because he was engaged in dairy 
business, and was unable to milk his cows. 

In this case, there is no history of indigestion, the man was 
active and industrious, and lived almost entirely in the open 
air; consequently, it appeared that very little medication would 
be required for the purpose of promoting magnesium disso- 
ciation. The only treatment was calcium iodide, moderate 
doses to be taken three times daily. In the course of ten days, 
when I saw him again, he said that the pain had all disappeared 
within a few days after beginning treatment, but there was a 
numbness remaining, and the strength of the hand was con- 
siderably diminished, but there was no pain either day or night. 

Further treatment consisted in the employment of the hepatin 
tablet — two before meals — for the purpose of correcting any 
indigestion, affecting either the stomach or the intestinal tract, 
and a perfect recovery resulted. 

Strange as it may appear, this patient had a similar attack a 
year later, and it occurred to me that I would transpose the 
line of treatment, giving first the hepatin tablet, with the reser- 
vation that if the neuritis disappeared from its employment, 



314 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

calcium iodide would not be required. In this supposition, 
however, I was disappointed, the treatment for indigestion 
apparently having no benefit whatever upon the neuritis. 
Consecutive to this, he took calcium iodide, and all the symp- 
toms disappeared in a few days, and that too, without leaving 
any numbness or lack of power in the hand. 

In none of the cases mentioned above was a history of rheu- 
matism elicited, and the following case is added merely to 
emphasize the contention that the disorders are separate and 
distinct. The patient is a man upwards of 50 years of age, and 
until three or four years ago has suffered from time to time from 
inflammatory rheumatism. The neuritis in this instance affected 
both wrists. There was slight swelling, more or less stiffness 
and constant pain, always worse at night. 

Treatment in this case was conducted on lines parallel to 
that described in the above cases, and perfect recovery ensued 
within ten days. 

The following record of a case classed as multiple neuritis 
well illustrates the deficiencies and short-comings in present- 
day medical practice. The correspondence gives such a 
clear description of the malady that it seems best to repro- 
duce almost entirely the letter received from the patient, 
September 10, 1910, as follows: 

"I am 32 years old and have always had perfect health; had 
the diseases common to childhood and also malaria six years 
ago. I am five feet, five and a half inches tall, normal weight, 
about 158 pounds, muscular and very strong. Live an out-door 
life and have never been sick. In all the examinations I have 
had the doctors found nothing whatever wrong. I am a brunette, 
but of light complexion, with rosy cheeks. My roses are all 
gone, and I have brown spots on my forehead and around the 
mouth. Have been married eleven years, but have no children 
or miscarriages. Have no trouble at all — all organs perfect. 

"I am graduated from the Medical Department of . . . 
University, June, 1909, and in September located at ... , 
where I practised medicine until August 1, when I was com- 
pelled to quit. 



NEURITIS 315 

"I have had tonsillitis all my life, a chronic case — tonsils 
greatly enlarged. February, 1909, had the tonsils removed by 
snare. Was pretty sick after operation, the glands enlarging, 
both cervical and axillary. Got over that — though was studying 
very hard. 

"In May, 1909, I awoke one morning with terrific pain in 
my neck, on left side, which extended down into shoulder — 
muscles all very tense and painful. The doctor said it was 
rheumatism and put me on aspirin. I also took some electric 
cabinet baths for elimination. 

" Got over this attack, when the right side became involved. 
It was very severe, especially in the shoulder. 

" About this time I got through college and went to my home 
in ... I still had the enlarged glands in the neck and took 
calcium sulphide for that. 

"Supposing the trouble to be rheumatism, I took all kinds 
of rheumatic treatment, including a couple of weeks at . . . 
Mineral Springs. All this time, I was taking aspirin in 10-grain 
doses to keep the pain down. After I located and started 
practising I got worse rapidly. The muscles of my neck were 
very tense and painful, and my shoulder also. My right arm 
became affected and the pain in it was terrible. It is a hot, 
nerve pain that never ceases, and when not under the influence 
of aspirin, I had no power to use it. Yet when I took 10 grains 
of aspirin, in a few minutes, I was comfortable and able to go 
about my work for three or four hours, when the pain became 
unendurable again, and I had to repeat the dose day and night. 

"I took osteo-therapy and everything else my professional 
brethren suggested, or prescribed, with no success. 

"December 15, 1909, the pain ceased suddenly and I was free 
from it for two weeks, when it began again, always starting in 
the neck behind the ear. 

" I neglected to state that the pain crossed over, and the right 
side and arm were also involved, though not quite so severely. 
There were red spots where the nerve issued, and I had a tem- 
perature elevation from one and a half degrees to two and a 
half degrees every p.m. — none in a.m. Muscles were very sore 
and tense — could lie on neither shoulder, only on back. 



316 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

"The next attack I had, beginning about December 28, 
started the same way and involved the same parts, the clavicles 
being very sore and the tissues over them swollen also. I 
became so ill, that April 12th I came here to . . . and con- 
sulted Dr. . . . , supposed to be the best man in the State of 
... on diagnosis. He diagnosticated the case as septic 
neuritis, although he could never find the origin of the sepsis. 

"I went out to the . . . hospital, and stayed five weeks. 
Physician in charge gave me twenty hot alcohol packs, twenty 
hypodermic injections of sodium cacodylate, then put me on 
10 minims of bichloride of gold and arsenic solution three times 
a day. I also had good food, egg-nog, and 5 grains of pheno- 
phthalein at night; also a warm two-quart colonic flushing of 
salt solution each day. 

" I was kept in bed at absolute rest, and was able to stand the 
pain without the aspirin after being there a few days. I lost 
thirty pounds in weight while there and when I left the hos- 
pital I was some better, but my neck still pained me a great 
deal. 

"I left there May 19th. Went up to . . . and rested. 
Then, in a few days I had terrible pains through my forehead — 
of a neuralgic character — the tissues being edematous and 
very sore; also hot pains through my eyes that were very hard 
to bear. About June 15, 1910, though I got entirely well and 
felt fine for two weeks. 

"Then I had another attack come on involving the intercostals 
(and entire chest), and diaphragm. Of course, the old troubles 
in the neck and shoulders came back and also through the 
forehead, but the intercostal involvement was the worst. I 
had this attack for about three weeks — bad, then it gradually 
let up. I never took any aspirin from April 17th until July 1st; 
then I had to go back to it. 

"I came here August 1st, and rested, and took some baths, 
with light massage. I was comparatively free for two weeks, 
then this attack came on — came on with pain back of the ear, 
and then involving the shoulder. My right arm and shoulder 
have been as bad as they ever were. The chest has not bothered 
me any, except the intercostals, from about the 7th to the 10th, 



NEURITIS 317 

which are very sore and have pained me a great deal. But 
this time, the worst phase has been my head. The pain in the 
forehead is very intense and throbbing; also sharp lightning 
pains through ears and eyes — paroxysmal. 

"I am getting a little better now, but am still taking from 
20 to 40 grains of aspirin daily. I have tried all other hyp- 
notics and anodynes, but get no relief from any except aspirin. 
It seems to relax the tissues; feel like I had a cord tied round 
the base of my brain and drawing tighter. I take 5 grains 
of aspirin, and in five minutes I have relief. I keep my bowels 
open very freely, maintain good elimination, etc. 

"I had my throat, nose and head examined last week and 
there is nothing wrong there. 

"It seems that none of the doctors understand my case, and 
I am very anxious to get well. I have had to give up my prac- 
tice entirely. The pain I suffer is terrible." 

Truly, this is a serious case, most forbidding from what- 
ever standpoint considered. Here is a fairly complete history 
of recurrent neuritis which has resisted all forms of medical 
treatment for a period of about sixteen months, and judging 
from the physical character of the patient, it should have 
been promptly arrested and entirely avoided. To the super- 
ficial observer and to the physician who is not conversant 
with the deviations from normal which have combined to 
produce the disorder, it would seem almost impossible to 
find an avenue of escape. Unfortunately, the chronic ton- 
sillitis has misled the medical attendants, since there is a 
general belief prevalent that tonsillitis in childhood fore- 
shadows rheumatism in later life. In this case, however, 
there has been developed neuritis, a tangent from the usual 
line, and since the medical profession is unacquainted with 
the pathologic bearings, it naturally follows that they should 
fail in their efforts at treatment — in fact, the evidence is 
clear that treatment in this instance has been according to 
routine and in conformity with tradition. 

According to the classification adopted, there are three 
distinct indications for treatment, as follows: 



318 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

(1) Restore the digestive capacity, the reason for this being 
indicated by the brown spots appearing on the skin; 

(2) Neutralize acid excess, the demand for this being patent, 
because it is practically as well as theoretically impossible to 
have attacks of this character in the absence of excessive 
acidity; 

(3) Promote magnesium dissociation, this being a sine qua 
non, as otherwise there would be no pain — the "hot nerve 
pain" which never ceases is a characteristic symptom of 
neuritis. 

Treatment might be adopted in accordance with the above 
classification, beginnnig with the indigestion, and this could be 
readily combined with treatment to neutralize acidity, but it 
would not be immediately beneficial. In this case we have to 
deal with an emergency, and the physical condition of the 
patient is such as to warrant the belief that if the magnesium 
deposits were dissolved there would be prompt subsidence of 
the most unfavorable symptoms. Therefore, after studying the 
problem for a few minutes, it was decided to adopt the latter 
plan, sending the supplies direct to the patient. She was 
advised to take gradually increasing doses of the calcium car- 
bonate (vitalized chalk), together with medicinal doses of 
calcium iodide, and requested to report the results of treatment 
after it had been continued for a period of ten days. 

The following extracts from a letter dated September 26th, 
and received September 30th, will be sufficient to show the 
gratifying results following rational treatment: She says: 

" When the supplies arrived, I was very ill, my neck and head 
keeping me almost insane; temperature of 102.5° and 103° 
every afternoon and evening. I was taking sodium iodide, 
30 grains per day, and keeping down the pains with large doses 
of aspirin. 

" I have now taken your treatment for ten days and am better. 
The neck has become much less contracted, the temperature 
normal with a rise of \° to 1 ° at night. My head is still ^painful, 
but the sharp neuralgic pains are gone, and more the feeling of 



NEURITIS 319 

fulness than anything else. I feel stronger and much encour- 
aged. My arm is stronger and the nerve pain practically gone. 
I have taken no aspirin for three days." 

"On this date (September 30), alkaline-saline treatment was 
added and the report, received October 20, is as follows : 

"Am doing very nicely. My left leg still pains me quite 
severely when I retire, but usually ceases when I get up. I 
walk lame when I first start out, but it soon wears off. 

"My complexion hasn't cleared up much yet, and I am still 
troubled with constipation." 

The symptoms given are simply evidences of auto-infection 
arising from the irregular flow of bile, and will be quickly relieved 
by continuing the alkaline-saline and the addition of the 
gall-ipecac comp., two tablets before meals. Magnesium dis- 
sociation having been effected, there will probably be no further 
demand for the calcium salts. 

It would be an exceedingly simple matter to treat neuritis, 
provided all cases of this nature were alike, and it was not 
necessary for the medical attendant to entertain more than 
a single syllogism. Unfortunately, however, there is almost 
always a neurasthenic element associated with the disorder, 
the patients or sufferers, realizing the efforts made on their 
behalf by the medical attendant, become personally inter- 
ested, not only in his success, but in the treatment of their 
own particular case, and adding to this the fact that many 
of these cases are mistaken for some occult manifestation of 
rheumatism, the difficulties in the way are almost insuper- 
able. 

This is well illustrated in the case of a patient coming under 
observation several years ago for some minor difficulty that his 
family physician had been unable to master. Recovery was 
so prompt that he felt warranted in asking me to prescribe 
again for him on several occasions, and also for different mem- 
bers of his family. He had suffered for some time from impaired 
nutrition, with a local manifestation or symptom character- 
istic of flat-foot, which was promptly relieved by shoes which 



320 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

overcame this difficulty. He had an attack of influenza, but 
failing to get me over the telephone on Tuesday morning, he 
waited until Wednesday morning, at which time I prescribed 
for him, the consultation being conducted on the part of his 
son, while the patient was confined in bed. 

The results of treatment were eminently satisfactory, except 
that neuritis had developed in the ankle as a sequela, and no 
doubt was associated with the defective nutrition which had 
manifested itself a year or so previously. For some reason, 
I was not asked to continue treatment for this, the family 
physician was called in, and gave him active treatment for 
rheumatism. This was continued for several weeks, the patient 
being kept in bed most of the time. Later, recovery was so 
far advanced that he was able to get out and still he had not 
regained his former physical condition; he walked lame, there 
was considerable swelling of the foot and ankle, and as a con- 
sequence, he lost his position, that of superintendent in a 
department store. 

In this particular instance, I think it would be safe to say 
that the neuritis in the early stage could have been relieved at 
once, acid excess being doubtless responsible for its appearance, 
together with magnesium infiltration, and under ordinary 
circumstances, the patient would have been able to resume 
his employment without further loss of time. 

While the foregoing statement may seem incredible in 
the extreme, and the claims impossible of fulfilment, it 
will serve the present purpose to supplement it with the 
record of a similar case, and at the same time it will show 
that there is warrant or grounds for the contention that the 
rational treatment of these cases makes for simplicity and 
efficiency. 

The patient, a man, 49 years of age, has suffered six or seven 
years from a peculiar form of multiple neuritis — the attacks 
are confined principally to the legs; in fact, he says they never 
extend above the waist-line. These attacks are characterized 
by excruciating pain, both legs being affected, and in addition 



NEURITIS 321 

to the pain, there is very annoying twitching of the superficial 
muscles. 

The attacks come on without premonitory symptoms, and 
that too, without apparent cause — they are just as liable to 
appear in the middle of the night as at noon-day, and during 
all this period the medical attendants have never been able to 
prescribe medicines which afford relief; anodynes, narcotics, and 
antiseptics, and baths, and electricity, and mineral waters and 
everything else in the medical calendar having been employed 
in vain. He has been advised by eminent counsel, both at home 
and abroad; he has taken the "cure" at Nauheim, Germany, 
and the mud-baths in Hungary as well as the Carlsbad "cure" 
and sulphur baths (Budapest), and he says, in all his experience, 
all these lines of treatment have been absolutely without 
benefit, but on the contrary, these baths only left him in a less 
favorable condition than he was at the beginning, and the 
Carlsbad cure was the worst of all. 

An examination shows acid salivary reaction with highly 
acid cutaneous reaction; the stomach is distended with gas, 
also the ascending colon, showing that there is gastro-intestinal 
catarrh, but he has a fairly good appetite, although the bowels 
are constipated. The knee-jerk is absent and all the character- 
istics of the typical magnesia heart are present, this peculiar 
condition of the circulatory apparatus being fully confirmed 
by edema of the extremities, although this latter feature is not 
persistent, appearing only when he has taken considerable 
exercise on foot. 

In this instance we have a distinct demand for the correc- 
tion of the three chemic deviations outlined in the proposed 
classification — impaired digestive capacity, acid excess, and 
magnesium infiltration. 

Now, the reader must admit that these attacks of neuritis 
are due to some obstruction in the transmission of nerve 
impulses, and if we assume that impaired conduction is 
due to the presence of magnesium deposits, then it follows 
that medication conducted for the purpose of promoting 
magnesium dissociation should show immediate results. 
21 



322 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Still, we must bear in mind that magnesium dissociation 
being a chemic problem, we cannot expect the living, organ- 
ized tissues to part with it without some distinct or pro- 
nounced constitutional effects. For example, if this patient 
was to receive iodine alone for its alterative effect, it would 
produce such alarming "nervous" conditions that he would 
have to be confined to bed, or sent to a sanitarium where he 
would have a nurse in constant attendance. 

Then again, suppose we assume that we have to deal 
with magnesium infiltration, the question arises as to the 
exact nature of this chemic deviation — Is it simple replace- 
ment, chemic transformation, or united with calcium ? Each 
of these varieties or types require special attention in respect 
to treatment, as previously pointed out, but familiarity with 
this class of cases, taking into consideration the age of the 
patient, the acid excess, the gastro-intestinal derangement, 
together with involvement of the circulation, and also the 
sluggish condition of the lymph-glandular apparatus, there 
are grounds for believing that we have to deal here with 
chemic transformation, the colloid portion of the nerve 
structures having become charged with magnesium oxide (cal- 
cined magnesia). In addition to deciding upon this question, 
it was necessary to give some consideration to the digestive 
disorder, and the question naturally arises how best to 
adjust treatment to counteract the effect and remove the 
cause. 

Briefly stated, the treatment consisted in the administration 
of alkaline-saline continuously; the second part of the treat- 
ment included the employment of calcium iodide together with 
calcium carbonate, small doses of each being given together 
about ten minutes before meals — the object in adding the 
calcium carbonate being to counteract any nervous irritability 
arising from the administration of the calcium iodide alone. 
Being unable to see the patient again for several weeks, he 
was advised to alternate the preliminary treatment with the 
hepatin tablet, two before meals, night and morning. That is, 
he was to take the alkaline-saline continuously and the calcium 



NEURITIS 323 

salts for a week at a time, then followed by the hepatin tablet 
for a like period. 

Nearly four weeks elapsed before the patient again made 
his appearance, and he reported that during the interval he 
had suffered no recurrence of the acute attacks; that he had 
felt decided improvement within a few days after beginning 
treatment, and that since his first visit, he had accomplished 
much more in the line of work than for many years. He had a 
good appetite, bowels were regular, he slept well, the reactions 
and reflexes were near normal, and he expressed himself as 
feeling well satisfied that he was now on the road to complete 
recovery. 

The above being a recent case, of course, it will not be 
practical to consider the final results. However, it will 
suffice to report a somewhat similar case which came under 
observation, perhaps six months previous to the present 
writing. 

A married lady, about 50 years of age, has suffered for a year 
and a half from neuritis affecting the right hand and shoulder. 
The pain is constant, night and day, and the shoulder is so 
involved that she is unable to use her arm, and for several 
months past at least, she must have a maid to dress her hair. It 
should be stated here that for several years previous to the 
development of neuritis, the patient had suffered from sciatica, 
so that in this case, at least, there seems to be an apparent 
relationship, but it is more imaginary than real, because it can 
be shown that the sciatica was due to long continued acid excess, 
a constitutional chemic deviation; and further, the deduction is 
warranted that the neuritis is due to the same cause, while 
magnesium infiltration becomes the complication. 

The patient has had the best medical treatment obtainable, 
being advised by a prominent and popular leader in this section 
of the State. He had advised some lines of treatment which 
were carried out by other physicians, such as massage, and hot 
baths, and electric treatment, and he has winked at certain 
irregular methods of practice, such as osteo-therapy and mental 
healing. 



324 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

The patient is an intelligent and educated lady, and could tell 
me when the ultra-violet light should be applied instead of 
osteopathic manipulations, and various other subtle and 
sophistic deductions, all gleaned from at least half a dozen 
practitioners and consultants. In fact, she had systematized 
the treatment to such an extent, that she had copies of the 
various prescriptions, together with samples of the medicines 
in a hand-bag, so that I could secure a complete history of the 
treatment — and she was greatly surprised, if not annoyed, when 
I told her that it was a very simple case. She afterward told 
me that she had become quite philosophic concerning the 
outlook, having made up her mind that medical science could 
do nothing to relieve the malady, and she was consoled by the 
fact that her medical attendants had not insisted upon ampu- 
tation. She said, however, that she never expected to regain 
the use of her arm. 

An examination showed acid salivary reaction, pronounced 
acidity of the perspiration, distension of the stomach as well 
as the ascending colon, and along with this was the typical 
magnesia heart. The patient was poorly nourished, the skin 
was dull and parchment-like, the appetite always impaired and 
constipation persistent. 

Treatment in this case was conducted substantially on the 
same plan as in the previous instance. Medical treatment was 
begun on Tuesday and on Sunday morning following, the acute 
pain had subsided, the use of the arm was regained, and she 
dressed her own hair for the first time in several months, and, 
of course, she felt highly elated, but still rather suspicious and 
skeptical as to the outlook and ultimate results of treatment. 
In this, however, she was agreeably disappointed — improvement 
was rapid and complete recovery took place without any 
complications. 

Causative Factors. — From time to time the appearance of 
neuritis has been assigned to various causative factors, such 
as over-exertion, physical or mental, the use of alcohol or 
tobacco, rheumatism, venereal disease, until finally it has 
been traced to putrefactive processes incident to impairment 



NEURITIS 325 

of the intestinal digestion, proof of this being found by 
examination of the urine — indicanuria, from albuminoid 
decomposition, acetone-bodies (acidosis), from disassimila- 
tion of fatty acids, etc. To correct this abnormal condition 
and restore the digestive capacity, our main reliance hitherto 
has been intestinal antiseptics, quinine, salol, salicylates, 
etc., but the results have been far from satisfactory, owing 
to the temporary character of relief afforded, together with 
the tendency to recurrence. And this does not take into 
account the harmful effects of antiseptics upon the deli- 
cate tissues of the intestinal tract — like rust spots on a 
ten-dollar lace handkerchief. 

Unfortunately, a test of the urine is misleading, because 
it gives but a superficial conception of the true cause, the 
presence of indican, acetone, skatol, and other putrefactive 
products being merely symptomatic, symptoms of defective 
primary assimilation — for all practical purposes, an effect. 
The true cause, it will be found, arises from defective 
innervation, due to impairment in nerve conduction, an 
interference evidently dependent upon magnesium deposits. 

Contrast the simplicity and efficiency of treatment in the 
reported cases — without examination of the urine — with the 
complicated and long continued treatment usual in such 
cases, together with the unsatisfactory results, even with 
a restricted dietary, and we have a fairly representative 
composite picture of the short-comings in modern medical 
practice. For example, I have before me an elaborate report 
of ten cases treated according to the most approved and 
popular antiseptic methods, restricted dietary, with frequent 
urinary examinations — in one case several examinations 
were made daily for thirty consecutive days — and always a 
tendency to recurrence. No record is made of the time 
these patients were under observation, although we may 
infer that it was prolonged, because the author says, "In 
many instances, there were relapses from indiscretions, 
which the patients' desire for rich food led them into." 
Then follows a homely monologue on the subject of over- 
eating. Perhaps, another doctor, in reporting a series of 



326 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

cases covering treatment of neurasthenia, a kindred disorder, 
will recommend rest in bed with forced feeding, while a 
third will advocate exercise and plenty to eat. Each has 
his following, because the public does not understand the 
chemic problem in nutrition, and the profession refuses to 
countenance a hypothesis so at variance with tradition — the 
innovation is not ex cathedra. The solution of the problem, 
it will be seen, rests upon a correct conception of the initial 
deviation as the true causative factor, the nerve obsession, 
rather than the putrefactive toxins, the effect. 

Finally, it should be noted that neuritis is usually brought 
to the physician's attention in the chronic stage, associated 
with neurasthenic symptoms, and while medical treatment 
may prove successful in many cases, it is a fact that such 
patients are suspicious, skeptical, and unreliable regarding 
the fulfilment of details relating to treatment. Hence, I 
think that all such cases should be under the personal 
observation of the medical attendant, in a sanitarium, or 
in charge of a responsible nurse, who will see that the 
directions are faithfully carried out. 

For example, it is necessary as a preliminary measure to 
promote dissociation of the magnesium salts, and this is 
best effected when the normal alkalinity of the blood is 
maintained. So, it becomes rather embarrassing to the 
physician who prescribes remedies for these two distinct 
objects to be told by the patient at the end of the week 
that he didn't take such and such, because he didn't think 
he needed it. This tendency of the neurasthenic to usurp 
the function of the medical attendant is unfortunate in the 
extreme. With proper attention to acid excess, remedial 
measures to promote dissociation of the magnesium salts 
together with a supply of the necessary calcium salts to 
restore the cellular activities, the treatment of these cases 
is remarkably successful, but it must be borne in mind 
that we have to deal with physical and chemical condi- 
tions, and unless medication is properly regulated to secure 
and maintain the physiologic equilibrium, failure must 
follow. 



MERCURIALISM 327 

Mercurialism. — I cannot close this discussion without 
special reference to the "obscure nervous phenomena/' 
arising from mercurialism, and frequently manifested in 
patients who have been subjected to treatment for specific 
infection. It was Brunton, the eminent pharmacologist, 
who first pointed out the effects of mercury upon the tissues, 
showing that it has a tendency to deplete the lime from the 
bones, leaving them soft, affecting especially the long bones, 
and that in addition, there was a tendency to calcareous 
degeneration of the kidneys, leading to ascites and edema 
of the extremities. 

A case of this character came under observation several years 
ago — a lady, 40 years of age, who, on account of swelling of the 
legs and dropsical condition of the abdomen, had not been 
able to leave her room for over a year, except to go down stairs 
once a day. She was apparently well nourished, but extremely 
nervous, the least noise or unusual occurrence leading to pal- 
pitation and trembling, and even a knock at the front door, or 
ringing of the bell would be sufficient to set up a "nervousness" 
that would last for the whole day. Insomnia was pronounced, 
and being unable to sleep, she would conjure up so many things 
that were likely to be neglected the following day, and then 
she would entertain fears regarding the household affairs, 
whether the furnace fire was properly banked, if the kitchen 
door was locked, if the front shades were pulled down, but under 
no circumstance would she venture out in the dark to investigate 
any of these suppositious short-comings. 

The administration of calcium salts in small doses caused all 
these "fear "symptoms to disappear within a few days, and in 
less than a week she slept soundly. To show that she fully 
realized the change which had taken place, she said the old 
telephone bell could ring all night so far as she was concerned; 
it didn't worry her a bit. 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM— Continued. 

Neurasthenia (Clinical Reports) — Deviations Responsible for Its 
Appearance (Tabulation) — The Cause an Effect. 

Nervous Dyspepsia — Gastralgia — Insanity — Goiter — Vomiting of 
Pregnancy — Review. 

NEURASTHENIA. 

That neurasthenia exists is admitted, that it is charac- 
terized by various symptoms, definite as well as indefinite, 
I cannot deny, but that treatment should be essentially 
psychic is a fallacy too elusive for the optimist in medical 
science — dirigation alone is a support too flimsy upon 
which to erect an ornate and substantial superstructure as 
a land-mark for future generations of physicians whose 
lives will be devoted to physical and physiologic demon- 
stration whose keynote spells precision. 

In a communication published some years ago, 1 1 ventured 
the following observation: 

In view of the numerous tangible evidences confirmatory 
of my contention in regard to the deleterious effects of mag- 
nesium infiltration, it seems that a record of " nervous' ' 
cases together with the treatment adopted would be a work 
of supererogation, so that I shall confine my remarks to 
several conditions which are representative of physical 
rather than metaphysical or psychological deviations from 
normal. 

In this estimate, however, I was greatly mistaken, so as 
concrete evidence, several typical cases are now placed on 
record. 

Whether or not my views are accepted, it is doubtful if 
we shall continue to read long articles containing directions 
for hair-splitting diagnoses between cardiac, dyspeptic and 
sexual neurasthenia, or which attempt to locate or describe 

1 Magnesium Infiltration, Wisconsin Medical Recorder, 1908. 



NEURASTHENIA 329 

the twilight zone between simple nervousness and typical or 
real neurasthenia, since it is now within the range of human 
probability to verify the clinical diagnosis by rational 
treatment, the crucial test of modern therapeutics. 

Mrs. K. is an active, intelligent, and highly educated lady, 
35 years of age, married, and the mother of three children. In 
fact, she presents the appearance of perfect health, and the 
suggestion that she required medical treatment was taken as 
a joke. However, after a brief consultation, it was learned 
that she had suffered all the characteristic symptoms of neuras- 
thenia for at least a year past, and that she had been so wrapped 
up in the idea of alkaloidal medication that she had conscien- 
tiously remained in bed for a period of three months in order 
to get rest (?), and secure the benefit of the active principles 
of plants — atropine, strychnine, morphine, codiene, etc. The 
only benefit derived from this treatment, visible to the naked 
eye, related to the general physical condition — there was abso- 
lutely no perceptible change in the neurasthenic symptoms. 

Treatment was begun on the plan previously outlined, but, 
unfortunately, the patient's peculiar make-up, prohibited the 
employment of alteratives, and it was impossible to employ 
the calcium iodide, even in small doses, because of the pro- 
found and depressing effect upon the nervous system. Indeed, 
it must be stated, that the results appeared almost alarming, 
and I was called to see her at her home, where I found her in 
bed filled with the most distressing forebodings. Modifying 
treatment, and limiting it to alkaline-saline medication and 
dissociation of magnesium according to the law of mass action, 
active treatment was carried out, which resulted in apparent 
and complete recovery in the course of a week. This claim is 
fully warranted by the subsequent history — there has been no 
relapse in eighteen months, and all the forbidding symptoms 
have subsided. 

Mrs. C. came under observation seven years ago, a typical 
neurasthenic. For two years preceding her visit, she had been 
under more or less constant treatment for tuberculosis of the 
bowels. Apparently, judging from appearances and the history 



330 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

of the case, the diagnosis was correct. Careful examination 
discovered, however, not only that we had to deal with magne- 
sium infiltration, but also that there was a local lesion which 
had been overlooked by her previous attendants. It seems 
that the bowel trouble had gradually developed within a year 
after the birth of her child, and the attacks of diarrhea, appear- 
ing at irregular intervals, were such as to cause great pros- 
tration — sometimes ten, fifteen, or twenty bowel movements 
in the course of twenty-four hours. 

As stated, a careful examination discovered the lesion; 
there was an arthritis or inflammation of the joint between 
the sacrum and innominate bone, on the left side (sacro- 
iliac synchondrosis), and this was sufficient to account for all 
the unfavorable symptoms — including tuberculosis. 

Treatment was conducted for the purpose of absorbing the 
inflammatory products, calcium iodide being employed, coupled 
with medication for the purpose of restoring the normal alkal- 
inity of the blood, calcium carbonate in alternation with cal- 
cium sulphate, to which was added from time to time alkaline- 
saline treatment. This case was somewhat tedious on account 
of the debilitated condition of the patient, but perfect recovery 
ensued in the course of a few months, and there has been no 
recurrence of the symptoms of tuberculosis. 

Mrs. S., age 30, came under observation several years ago, 
suffering from neurasthenia, as a result of shock. Standing on 
a railroad platform, she saw her mother killed by an approach- 
ing train, and of course, was seriously prostrated. While her 
physical condition was but little changed, the mental make-up 
was greatly obscured — she was timid, uncertain, and there 
was well marked panphobia. 

As a result of treatment on the lines indicated, covering but 
a few weeks, this patient made a complete recovery, and for 
the past seven years has been engaged in active work as a 
teacher, enjoying perfect health. 

Miss S. is an unmarried lady, 30 years of age, and for the 
past three years has been unable to do anything in the way of 
housework; she is afraid to mingle in society, and as a result 



NEURASTHENIA 331 

of the neurasthenia, she has become a nervous wreck. Con- 
sultation with several eminent physicians has resulted in no 
apparent benefit, and her medical attendant says nothing can 
be done for her, that she will have to wait two or three years, 
and take the chances of making a spontaneous recovery. 

Treatment in this case, along the lines indicated, resulted in 
immediate and marked improvement. The patient became 
interested in her usual duties, enjoyed the visits of her friends 
and acquaintances, and took an active part in all social work, 
so that in the course of six months, none of the unfavorable 
symptoms remained. 

Mr. P. is a man about 40 years of age, well nourished and 
apparently in good health, but he is extremely nervous, timid, 
uncertain, and had seriously considered the propriety of giving 
up his business — that of manager of a department store — so 
that he can take a much needed rest (?). 

Treatment in this case was carried out on the general plan 
previously outlined, and the results were satisfactory, indeed. 
In the course of a few weeks he gained confidence. Timidity 
and uncertainty in regard to business affairs were changed to 
confidence, and as a matter of fact, he gave up the notion of 
taking a vacation. I only saw him three or four times, and 
had almost forgotten his existence, until one day, while dining 
in a railroad station, I was approached by an entire stranger, 
as I supposed, but presently he introduced himself, and I saw 
a man in perfect health with none of the untoward symptoms 
which had been present at the time he was under treatment — 
and he was profuse in his compliments. 

While it is not common to find neurasthenia in males, 
such cases do occur, and the following record will demon- 
strate how neurasthenia is a direct result of magnesium 
infiltration. 

A young man, 30 years of age, married, and fairly well nour- 
ished, gave the following history: 

About a year previous to this visit, he had what the doctors 
called paralysis, the entire left side of the body being deprived 
of motion and sensation. At the time of this attack he weighed 



332 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

perhaps 175 pounds, and was the picture of health. The only 
previous complaint that he made, referred to an acute or sharp 
lancinating pain in the back of the head — the occipital region. 

Only partial recovery had taken place at the time of his visit ; 
the headaches, while less severe, still persisted. The power in 
the left arm and hand had not fully returned, and occasionally 
he would experience a peculiar tingling pain from the finger-tips 
to the shoulder. 

Ability to handle the left leg was considerably impaired; in 
fact, he had to walk with considerable caution when the pave- 
ment was slightly uneven, to avoid falling down on the street. 
This patient complained especially of nasal catarrh, with pain 
in the forehead above the eyes, together with frequent dropping 
of mucus in the pharynx. The digestion was very much 
impaired, so much so that the patient had hunted up medical 
literature, and fully convinced himself that he was the victim 
of constitutional syphilis. He claimed that it was impossible 
for any one to have ulcers in the mouth and on the tongue, 
such as he had, without syphilitic infection, and he was thor- 
oughly convinced that he was then in the second stage of the 
disease, and that the attack of paralysis, a year previous, was 
conclusive evidence that he was right in his diagnosis — this 
was the neurasthenic element cropping out. 

Treatment in this case was conducted strictly in accordance 
with the usual plan — to restore the digestive capacity, neu- 
tralize acid excess, and promote magnesium dissociation. In 
addition to this, however, he had suitable local treatment for 
catarrh. This patient was seen only once again, a month later, 
reporting that the catarrhal trouble had practically subsided, 
although it was in the month of March, when catarrhal troubles 
are most prevalent. He said the digestion had improved, that 
the ulcers in the mouth and on the tongue had disappeared, and 
that the difficulty in using the left leg had decidedly improved, 
but the neurasthenic element again developed, when he insisted 
that the left arm and hand had never troubled him. He ad- 
mitted, however, that he had not suffered from headaches, and 
since that visit I have only heard indirectly that he is attending 
to his usual duties, and apparently enjoying perfect health. 



NEURASTHENIA 333 

In this instance, treatment was conducted for the purpose 
of correcting the constitutional deviation, the attack of paralysis 
being regarded as a local manifestation, due to long continued 
acid excess, diminished alkalinity of the blood, together with 
imperfect oxidation and defective elimination. There was no 
syphilitic infection, the mouth ulcers and catarrh along with 
some slight skin eruptions being due entirely to the indigestion. 
That they resembled syphilis was a mere coincidence, and the 
patient, finally, rather reluctantly, admitted his mistake in 
diagnosis, when the symptoms disappeared without specific 
treatment. 

A well marked case of sexual neurasthenia, occurring in a 
male, age 54, supplies a typical illustration of the intimate 
relation existing between magnesium infiltration and neuras- 
thenia — if it does not prove that the latter is the logical and 
consecutive result of the former. This patient had been ailing 
for a year or more, complaining of inability to work, suspicious 
of every effort made in his behalf, and throwing a "scare" into 
his family from time to time by his sudden ebullitions of nervous 
irritability. Spending most of his time in bed, he had beguiled 
his medical attendants at home and in the hospitals, into the 
need for anodynes and hypnotics to relieve pain and produce 
sleep, so that he gave promise of becoming a confirmed habitue, 
in addition to the original malady — because these patients 
fail to respond to the usual dosage. 

The patient's digestive apparatus was in an extremely bad 
condition, the tongue heavily coated, the stomach and intestinal 
tract distended with gas, obstinate constipation, the salivary 
reaction highly acid, and the knee-jerk greatly exaggerated. 
The pulse was of fairly good volume, but receding, a character- 
istic of magnesia heart, this being confirmed by the accentuated 
or "snappy" second sound of the heart. At times, in such 
cases, we find valvular incoordination, but there was no valvular 
derangement in this instance. 

Active treatment for a period of two weeks on the lines 
prescribed produced a marvelous change for the better. The 
patient was able to be up and around the house, and even 
ventured outside, giving directions for the farm work occa- 



334 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

sionally. He took his meals regularly with the family and was 
such a good feeder that his wife jokingly talked of raising his 
board. During the time this patient was under treatment every 
precaution was taken to prevent him from discussing with any 
one his peculiar malady — by keeping him constantly in the 
family circle. 

In the course of seven or eight weeks, while under observa- 
tion, the patient made very satisfactory progress, but mani- 
fested no little disappointment when told that the original 
malady, although it came first, would be the last to disappear, 
that everything depended upon his ability to maintain his 
digestive capacity. At any rate, the outlook was not suffi- 
ciently propitious, and he insisted upon having another doctor 
before breakfast the next morning. 

Now comes the most interesting part of the report. Within 
a week or ten days, the patient was bundled off to a more 
pretentious hospital, and it was given out that they would soon 
know what ailed him. The sanguine expectations were not 
realized, however, as he returned in a less promising condition 
than when he left home. He insisted upon having the doctor 
again early the following morning — who told him to get out 
of bed, and go about his business, that he was a sound man 
physically. 

After this the atmosphere cleared, the man attended to his 
usual duties, and there did not appear to be a cloud on the 
horizon — until an attack of acute indigestion came on after a 
hearty dinner — and he died within an hour — in my judgment 
from magnesia heart, the organ being insulated — a short-circuit. 

The following correspondence covers what might be 
termed a typical case of neurasthenia. The patient is a 
man, 57 years of age, a widower for the previous twelve 
years, and has been engaged in literary work, and also as a 
salesman. 

The letter runs as follows : 

" Four years ago, after hard work for many years, I had what 
the doctors called 'nervous breakdown,' and was away from 
business for a year — most of the time in the country. 

"Up to that time, never weighed more than 130 pounds 



NEURASTHENIA 335 

since then have gained six or eight pounds every year, and 
now weigh over 150 pounds. 

"Never paid any attention to my eating, and took little or 
no exercise. 

"For the past four years or more have not been able to go 
about the city alone. Have had to have some one with me 
when out, and even when out with some one, have had to hold 
on to his or her arm. Experienced nervous fear even then, par- 
ticularly in crossing streets. Want to walk close to buildings 
and fear that I would fall if I attempted to go in town any 
distance alone. 

" In the country I am almost entirely clear from that feeling, 
but find that I have to occasionally take the arm of the person 
with whom I am walking, and always seem to be better able 
to walk on the right side of the person. In the country, I can 
walk alone, and do it without any fear. 

"For years have had practically no knee-jerk, and except 
that I am not equal to sustained mental effort, either writing 
or talking, don't think that I suffer mentally, beyond being 
depressed at times, and a feeling of introspection — if that be 
the word. 

"Except in election campaigns, when I would take stimu- 
lants to pull me through excessive work, have been practically 
a total abstainer for nearly ten years, beyond an occasional 
bottle of malt, ale, or porter. 

"My chief troubles appear to be intestinal or nervous indi- 
gestion with constipation and acid excess. I have practically 
no pain, but my food ferments day after day, and my abdomen 
is nearly always gas-distended; my facial expression is almost 
always that of anxiety and fear. 

"I may add that no doctor has suggested iocomotor ataxia, 
but more than one has told me that my trouble was the 
opophobia form of nervous prostration. Not one could tell me 
whether the stomach caused the nervous trouble or whether 
it was the nervous breakdown that produced the stomach 
disorder. 

"I am now on the second week of a two months' vacation, 
and hope to spend most of the time at the sea-shore, where I 
can get sea-bathing and perfect quiet. 



336 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

" I should have said that I am easily bothered and excited, 
and that even a glass of malt at times flushes me as though I 
had been a hard drinker. Water, tea or milk sometimes has 
the same effect. 

"Get off my sleep quite frequently — in bed some hours 
before getting to sleep — and rarely pass a night without dreams 
— many of them the "nightmare" variety. It is not an uncom- 
mon thing for one foot (sometimes both), to go to sleep while 
I am at meals." 

While this has been an extremely obstinate case as regards 
treatment, it is clearly due to digestive disturbances, and as I 
wrote the patient that since the indigestion was still present, 
it seemed the part of wisdom to make an attempt to correct 
that before adopting measures looking to removal of the effects, 
meaning by that, the magnesium infiltration. Treatment, 
therefore, was conducted for this special purpose, copper arsenite 
as an antiseptic, together with the hepatin tablet to improve 
the digestive capacity, and along with this the alkaline-saline 
to neutralize the excessive acidity. 

A suggestion was made regarding diet, as follows: 

It should be limited rather than restricted, but no liquids 
while eating to help swallow the foods. Thorough mastication 
was advised, and the patient was instructed to avoid roast- 
beef and beef-steak, beans and meat-dressing, and all rich and 
highly seasoned foods. Further, he was instructed that there 
was no objection to ham, veal, properly cooked, poultry, eggs, 
fish, mutton and lamb. Vegetables included potatoes, white 
bread, graham bread, the latter to be taken sparingly, and the 
patient was advised to substitute rice in place of other starchy 
foods. He was also to take no oat-meal, cereals or other break- 
fast foods, nor crackers, because they keep alive the ferment 
in both the stomach and intestine. The patient was also 
cautioned that he must not understand that it is advisable or 
necessary to avoid liquids; that he could take water, tea, coffee 
or whatever he preferred at the end of the meal, or mid-way 
between meals or at bed-hour, but that he should discontinue 
the alcoholic stimulants entirely. 

Two weeks later, the patient reported that he was making 



NEURASTHENIA 337 

some progress, but that he was still bothered with gas. He 
says, "My trouble has been a long time coming on, and I 
don't expect magical results; but, of course, I am anxious to 
get back to my business as soon as possible.' ' 

At this time the original treatment was discontinued, the 
patient being placed on treatment for the special purpose 
of correcting the chemic deviation, that is, magnesium 
infiltration. Treatment consisted in the administration of 
calcium iodide and calcium carbonate, small doses to be 
taken together about ten minutes before meals, the alkaline- 
saline medication being continued, and as a result, a letter 
was received about two weeks later, from which the follow- 
ing extracts are copied. 

" I am so much improved as a result of treatment that I hope 
to get back to my home the present week, and start on my 
regular work. 

" The indigestion is almost gone, and there is little or no gas 
trouble. Am more inclined to be constipated since taking the 
alkaline-saline less frequently. The knee-jerk is still absent, 
but am hopeful of its return after treatment has been continued 
a little longer. 

"Am walking with greater firmness and confidence than for 
years, and am more than ever confident that your veiws in 
respect to so-called nervous disorders are correct. Am I 
right in walking six or eight miles a day? Or, I should perhaps 
inquire, is there anything in the magnesium infiltration idea 
that would make considerable walking undesirable?" 

It seems scarcely worth while to comment upon the 
immediate and marked improvement following treatment 
in this chronic and rather peculiar case, but the results show 
the "how" and "why" of neurasthenia — that it is a mani- 
festation of intestinal indigestion with acid excess, the 
essential cause, so that we come back to the original propo- 
sition: Improve the digestive capacity, neutralize acid 
excess, and promote magnesium dissociation. 

Deviations Responsible for Its Appearance. — Before leaving 
this topic, it will be the part of wisdom to consider in detail 
22 



338 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

the factors or deviations responsible for its appearance, the 
fundamental basis of neurasthenia being an undiscovered 
realm. Literally, "nerve weakness," and defined as "a 
group of symptoms resulting from debility or exhaustion 
of the nerve centers," we have no definite or demonstrable 
evidence as to the nature of the cause. Theories in abun- 
dance have been advanced from time to time; analyses, 
abstruse, philosophic and physiologic, have burdened the 
pages of current medical literature, and authors have made 
text-books top-heavy with recondite discussions developing 
their own peculiar views — the toxemic theory, influence of 
the ductless glands upon metabolism, endogenous cell- 
fatigue, inadequate sexual reaction, constitutional and 
acquired as well as traumatic and senile forms, together 
with various clinical groups, but not until the presentation 
of the working hypothesis of magnesium infiltration has 
any attention been given to the chemic problem in nutrition, 
although one and all of these special, peculiar and intangible 
complications hark back to the chemic deviation. 

Thus, while the cases recorded are typical, they are also 
characteristic, no two being alike clinically, but there is 
an unmistakable uniformity in response to treatment con- 
ducted with the single purpose — to promote magnesium 
dissociation, confirming the hypothesis that chemic devia- 
tion is the dominant, primary, or initial factor responsible 
for the disorder. This claim is based upon the assumption 
that we are dealing with a constitutional rather than a local 
derangement — a diathesis involving the motor and sensory 
centers, the nerve trunks and branches, also the vasomotor 
nerves — which modify, regulate, or control the caliber of 
the blood vessels. 

It must not be understood, however, that this compre- 
hensive scheme excludes the regional and local manifesta- 
tions which are consecutive or secondary to the original 
deviation, because while the immediate effects may be 
diffused and scarcely perceptible, the remote, indirect or 
secondary effects may develop with unexpected emphasis 
in various directions. 



NEURASTHENIA 339 

Studied from the anatomic viewpoint, we have magnesium 
infiltration involving the cerebro-spinal nerves as in loco- 
motor ataxia; with nervous dyspepsia, so-called, we have 
involvement of the splanchnic nerves; when the brain 
structures are attacked, we have melancholia, delusions 
("brain-storms") and dementia, with insanity; consumption 
and tuberculosis, asthma and chronic bronchial catarrh 
follow invasion of the pulmonary nerve supply, so that 
pneumonia, pleurisy and influenza are found to be increas- 
ingly fatal; affecting the circulation, the effects are patent, 
more cases of apoplexy and paralysis, an augmented number 
of aneurysms, while heart disease alone is second only to 
tuberculosis in the aggregate number of deaths; the liver 
does not escape, shown by the long list of diabetics, the 
frequency of jaundice together with the numberless cases 
of indigestion, peritonitis and appendicitis, secondary to 
passive congestion and engorgement of this organ; the 
kidney function as well as the genital apparatus likewise 
claim a share of attention in the study of the regional 
effects of the diathesis, the former with congestions, gravel 
and Bright's disease, the latter with a multiplicity of 
obsessions, physical and psychologic. 

Physiologic Deviations. — Turning now to the group of 
physiologic deviations, we have toxemia, arising from decom- 
position or fermentation as a result of impaired digestive 
capacity, or the development of systemic poisons as a conse- 
quence of reversion in cell function — musculo-toxin, neuro- 
toxin, hepato-toxin, pneumo-toxin, etc. Impairment in the 
function of the ductless glands — adrenals, spleen, thyroid, 
and pituitary bodies, advances pari passu with the consti- 
tutional retrograde changes, so that from a physiologic 
viewpoint, it may be said we have to contend with defective 
metabolism, involving the entire system of cellular activities. 
In other words, it obtunds or destroys cell function, and 
thus strikes at the fundamental basis of life itself — nutrition, 
exertion, motility, reproduction and response to stimuli. 

The psychologic group of deviations, involving, as it does, 
the sexual apparatus as a pivot is, perhaps, the most impor- 



340 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



tant of all, since it relates to the function of reproduction, 
or man's second nature. Elie Reclus has well said, "Until 
man's hunger and thirst are allayed, he is but little better 
than a ravenous brute." 1 When we consider the inexpres- 
sibly delicate nature of the physiologic mechanism relating 
to the function of reproduction, we must concede the possi- 
bility as well as the probability of injurious effects arising 
from causes which interfere with, impede or destroy the 
capacity of the nerve cells for the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of impulses, motor and sensory — such as attend 
magnesium infiltration. 

The incidental or symptomatic manifestations in neuras- 
thenia may be grouped under a separate heading, but the 
treatment of these symptoms, which is the limit in present- 
day practice, is like shooting up a blind alley at midnight — 
without excuse or reason. 

The following schema will enable the reader to refresh his 
memory with reference to the various subdivisions as out- 
lined, at the same time furnishing a convenient means of 
identification and clinical classification: 



Deviations in Neurasthenia (Schema). 



Dominant, 

(Primary) : 



Consecutive, 

(Secondary): 



Chemic : 



Anatomic : 



Physiologic: 



Psychologic, 

(Sexual) : 



Motor and sensory centers; 
Nerve trunks and branches; 
Vasomotor nerves. 

Cerebro-spinal nerves; 
Splanchnic (abdominal); 
Visceral (brain, lungs, heart, liver, 
uterus, etc.). 

Toxemia (intestinal, systemic) ; 
Ductless glands (impairment) ; 
Metabolism (defective). 

Amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea — 

in females; 
Spermatorrhea and impotence — in 

males; 
Melancholia, panphobia, paresis. 



1 According to ethnographers, human development takes place in 
the following order: (1) Material, (2) family, (3) social, (4) intellec- 
tual, (5) religious, (6) moral. 



Incidental, 

(Symptomatic) : 



NEURASTHENIA 341 



Lack of energy, easily fatigued; 

Insomnia, impaired memory; 

Constipation, _ dizziness, abdomi- 
nal distension; 

" Irritability," neuralgia, neuritis, 
"spinal irritation." 



Coming now to the final analysis, and reasoning or 
advancing from the simple to the complex, from the par- 
ticular to the general, we must consider the facts, both 
clinical and scientific, isolated as well as in series, the latter 
being essential to the development of ideas. Later, by- 
grouping analogous facts, we are able to establish the basis 
of a law, although a comprehensive exposition of disorders 
of the nervous system requires that the subject be studied 
successively from the viewpoint of biology, anthropology 
(demography), anatomy, physiology, pathology, chemistry 
and finally, at the bed-side — by exact observers and faithful 
recorders — to the end that "survivals," intellectual fossils, 
shall be eradicated from our text-books. Paraphrasing a re- 
mark by Reclus, medical science should no longer be the "tilt- 
ing-yard for fancies against opinions, for hypotheses against 
guesses. . . . Science and virtue alike, begin and prosper by 
the same means — by sincerity and by effort." This scheme 
of progression is but another name for medical evolution, 
but following the dictum of Aristotle, we should make facts 
the basis of theory, drawing a distinct line of demarcation 
between them and mere conjectures. 

Let us see now, how this declaration dovetails with our 
original proposition — to advance from the simple to the 
complex. Here is a child who twitches during sleep. There 
is no apparent cause, but we assume intestinal decomposition 
with auto-infection. The domestic remedy is castor oil. 
Medical treatment will be conducted on one of the two 
lines — the recent graduate invariably gives antiseptics, while 
an older man, long in the traditional rut, gives calomel 
followed by Epsom salts. In either instance, the patient 
becomes a "prospect" financially, sickness is produced and 
recovery prevented. Therefore, it will appear simple to 
claim that immediate and permanent relief can be secured 



342 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

by the judicious employment of the calcium salts in small 
doses — of course, the dietary may require attention — to 
recoup the lime depletion (of the nerve structures), thereby 
improving digestion and preventing intestinal decomposition, 
which gives rise to the reflex symptoms. Gritting the teeth, 
dreams, nightmare and visions are also well known reflex 
symptoms, although not confined to children. 

St. Vitus' dance is a more complicated condition, because 
the "nerve weakness" develops as a result of progressive 
chemic changes — probably from magnesium oxide — so that 
nerve conduction is interrupted. In epilepsy, the conditions 
are again varied, and still more complex, but the chemic 
deviation is still the dominant factor, this being confirmed 
by the results of treatment. Acute mania completes the 
series of "analogous facts'' bearing upon "nerve weakness," 
all of which are traceable to nerve impoverishment as a 
result of chemic deviation in respect to calcium alone — the 
proof being found in the results attending judicious medi- 
cation for the special purpose of promoting magnesium 
dissociation. 

Take another series of analogous facts intended to throw 
further light upon this important subject. For example, 
a child recovering from a severe attack of cholera infantum 
will develop various manifestations of chemic deviation 
consecutive or secondary to the disease, anatomic, physio- 
logic and psychologic. 

(1) Anatomic. — Under the first heading, we have the 
usual disorders common to infancy and childhood, lack 
of bone-making material, failure in growth, bow-legs, defec- 
tive or painful teething, flat-foot, hydrocephalus, and other 
evidences of malnutrition. In adolescents, these symptoms 
are emphasized, and when manhood is attained there is 
found a physical condition much below par. In the case 
of girls, there is spinal curvature and defective muscular 
development. 

(2) Physiologic. — In infancy and childhood we have to 
contend with impaired digestion, mucous catarrh, adenoids, 
polypi, susceptibility to colds as well as to the prevailing 



NEURASTHENIA 343 

seasonal disorders. In adolescents, the symptoms are 
emphasized, boys being effeminate, lacking in energy with 
dislike for either study or work, while the girls are neurotic, 
apathetic or precocious, many of them being unable to stand 
the strain incident to school work. 

(3) Psychologic. — From the psychologic standpoint, in 
infancy and early childhood we observe precocity, nervous 
irritability, mental deficiency, chorea and convulsions, in 
short, a continued series of irregular manifestations of 
imperfect nerve conduction. In adolescents, these mani- 
festations are even more marked, so that these children 
attain to adult age in an extremely unfavorable condition 
to begin the battle of life. 

It is a pertinent fact that many of these untoward sequelae 
may be entirely avoided, and none of them will fail to 
respond, at least, in a degree, to the measures previously 
outlined with reference to promoting magnesium dissociation, 
the only necessary factor in the case being careful obser- 
vation as to the condition of the reactions, and it is believed 
that no better illustration can be advanced at the present 
time than that which is developed in the foregoing tabulation. 

The Cause an Effect. — While the evidence is cumulative, 
showing that chemic deviation is the cause of neurasthenia 
and other disorders of the nervous system, it would be 
fallacious to assume that it is a cause de novo. Hence, 
the inquiry: What is the cause of the cause? This finds 
a very complete solution in a study of the various problems 
connected with metabolism and disorders of nutrition — 
which develops the fundamental basis — impairment in 
assimilation, primary and secondary, leading to acid excess 
with depletion of the lime content and coincident or con- 
secutive invasion or deposit of magnesium salts, so that 
we have to deal with magnesium infiltration as an effect 
of disordered metabolism. As to treatment, the original 
proposition still holds good: 

(1) Restore the digestive capacity; 

(2) Neutralize acid excess; 

(3) Promote magnesium dissociation. 



344 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA. 

The term, "nervous dyspepsia," is a clinical division, 
and applies in the case of a rapidly increasing class of suf- 
ferers who have not yet reached the neurasthenic stage — 
they may be said to occupy the territory between simple 
or ordinary indigestion and neurasthenia, the twilight zone. 
While they experience days of "misery," with nights of 
exasperating insomnia, the point of view is not altogether 
pessimistic, because they usually find some friendly doctor 
who will indulge their fancy by recommending a hypnotic 
to insure refreshing (?) sleep, together with "working" 
medicine to unload the lower bowel thus establishing a 
vicious circle — verily, "The last end of this man is worse 
than the first." When the financial conditions warrant, 
such patients are shunted or dragged to a sanitarium for 
rest or exercise, or possibly for electricity, mineral waters, 
massage, mud-baths, or hot-air, no effort being made to 
unfold or elucidate the chemic problem in nutrition. What 
with antiseptics to destroy the myriads of bacteria and 
infinite swarms of spores, pathogenic or otherwise — untold 
numbers of miraculous dietary lists, with quarts of sour 
milk (Bulgarian bugs of direct importation), the outlook 
for the nervous dyspeptic is most bewildering and kaleido- 
scopic. 

What's the Answer? — Let the patient's condition as regards 
chemic reactions be restored to normal; let the diet, rest, 
and recreation be in keeping with his physical and nervous 
make-up and adaptability — then we can readily remove 
or correct the disability which is responsible for the unto- 
ward symptoms. Nature is notably conservative, responsive 
to the slightest variation affecting the environment and 
recuperative in a marked degree, but we must adopt the 
measures necessary to enable the cellular structures to 
functionate. The following selected cases will serve to 
illustrate the principles advanced: 

A colleague residing in one of the Western states requested 



NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA 345 

a suggestion as to the treatment of what might be termed 
a typical case of nervous dyspepsia with its sequelae. A 
letter descriptive of the case follows: 

" I have a case where I wish to try your theory, and see how 
it will work out. My patient is a man 54 years of age and 
weighs about 200 pounds. About ten years ago he had a 
severe attack of optic neuritis, largely due to auto-intoxication. 
He recovered from this with good results. He has had at times 
a little eye trouble since, for which I have treated him. About 
a year ago he had an attack of aphasia, which was quite severe. 
He has been treated constantly since by one of ... . greatest 
neurologists and a general physician here. He has also had 
some eye trouble, which I looked after, but I have done nothing 
with the other part of the case. The doctors have done about 
all they can for him; there has been considerable improvement 
in his case as compared with a year ago, but he is not in a 
condition now to attend his business in any way. I have 
thought that this might be a case where your treatment would 
do some good. 

" This patient has at times considerable gastric and intestinal 
fermentation. I shall be glad if you would write me how to 
handle this case, and the dosage in which you would use the 
remedies. I have made a test with litmus as suggested, and 
find there is an excessive acidity. The other doctors are at 
the end of their resources now, and are doing nothing for the 
patient. As they have given up, I told the family I would like 
to have a try at the trouble." 

Apparently this is a rather complicated case, because 
in addition to the neuritis and aphasia, we have to deal 
with evidences of fatty degeneration consecutive to fatty 
infiltration. Unfortunately, my correspondent said nothing 
about the condition of the heart, the arteries, or the knee- 
jerk, and in giving directions for treatment, it was necessary 
to determine the therapeutic indications from his fragment- 
ary report. However, the directions included calcium iodide 
in small doses, together with alkaline-saline treatment, the 



346 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

object being two-fold — the first to promote magnesium 
dissociation, the second to neutralize acid excess and flush 
the tissues. The physician was advised to make a slight 
change in the treatment at the end of a week, one of the 
hepatin tablets to be given before breakfast, two tablets 
before each of the other meals, and he was also cautioned 
that in case the patient was subsisting upon a liquid diet, 
other treatment would have to be substituted — to improve 
the digestive capacity 

About three weeks after advising treatment the following 
report was received: 

"I write you again regarding my case of aphasia, and will 
give you a little more in detail the history of the case. The 
patient weighs about 200 pounds, and is a little under six feet 
in height. He is a business man, and has been actively engaged 
in large business deals. The attack came on somewhat over 
a year ago, probably largely caused by nerve-strain incident 
to completing a large contract. As I wrote you before, I had 
nothing to do with treating him at the time, but some months 
after the attack he came to me for treatment of his eyes. 

"Before beginning the treatment suggested by you, I had an 
urinalysis made, both chemic and microscopic. The specific 
gravity was 1.022, and nothing abnormal was found. Every- 
thing about his condition showed excessive acidity, and for 
this reason it occurred to me that your line of treatment might 
be of value. There is nothing in the nature of arterio-sclerosis, 
the pulse is strong and regular, but softer than it should be. I 
think there is something in the remark that you make in your 
letter that there might be some fatty degeneration connected 
with the case. The patellar reflex is present, but not nearly 
as active as it should be. 

"There has been a very marked improvement in the two weeks 
while I have employed the treatment suggested. I have used 
the alkaline-saline right along, the calcium iodide the first 
week, and the hepatin tablet the second week; now, I am start- 
ing on the third week, and have put him back on the calcium 
iodide again. There was lack of ability to pronounce a good 



NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA 347 

many words, but this (aphasia), was not complete; the mental 
condition was somewhat impaired; he could not get names of 
people he knew. Since taking this treatment, the mental con- 
dition has decidedly improved, and he has much less difficulty 
getting the words wanted. This part of the case shows a 
decided improvement. When he began treatment he said 
he could not use the right leg as well as the left. There was not 
enough trouble, however, to cause any difficulty in walking 
or to be noticeable when he walked, but he said he could not 
use that side as well as the other. To-day, when he was in, 
he said that the right side was just as good as the left, and he 
could use it just as well. He also said that he noticed an 
improvement in the last few days, which was very marked 
the way he could use the right side." 

As usual, in this case there was a well marked neuras- 
thenic element, the patient absolutely refusing to discontinue 
the employment of a popular hypnotic, because he was 
under the impression that he could not sleep without it. 
I was asked to prescribe a placebo and advise further treat- 
ment, but the complications were too serious to warrant 
my taking any further chances without a personal examina- 
tion, since these are the cases which suffer from "short- 
circuit" and die suddenly without knowing what ails them. 

Mrs. L. is a married lady, 40 years of age, and had frequent 
attacks of what had been called bilious headaches. She had 
been a semi-invalid for at least two years, and although she 
was subjected to a formidable abdominal operation nine years 
ago, there does not appear to be any direct relation between 
the operation and her present illness. The appetite varies, 
she has more or less cough with expectoration during the morning 
hours, and she is suspicious that she is suffering from tuberculosis. 
This suspicion seems to be confirmed by the general plan which 
has been carried out during the last few months. Until a week 
ago she had been confined to bed for seven weeks, receiving 
local and internal treatment for chronic laryngitis. There is 
a well marked catarrhal condition of the nasal cavity, and this 
catarrh also affects the stomach and intestinal tract, so that 



348 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

the diagnosis would very properly be classed as gastro-intestinal 
catarrh. The nasal catarrh, the laryngitis, and the headaches 
are simply incidental manifestations or concomitants of the 
digestive disorder. The nervous element is indicated by the 
rapid pulse-rate, ninety beats per minute, but there is no ele- 
vation of temperature ; the respirations are normal, and strange 
to say, the salivary reaction is neutral, thus showing that 
nature is making every possible effort to effect a cure. Further 
evidence of the disorder is shown by the sallow complexion, 
the skin where exposed to light being almost bronzed or mottled. 

The treatment of this case was extremely simple — hepatin 
for the digestive disorder, together with calcium carbonate to 
replace the depleted lime content of the nuclear proteid, and, 
in addition, a local remedy for the nasal catarrh. 

This patient made rapid improvement, and there was prac- 
tically no change in the treatment during the time she was 
under observation. 

Mrs. K., is a seamstress, about 50 years of age, and can 
only attend to her duties about two days each week, owing to 
lack of sleep. She suffers from persistent gaseous eructations, 
and she is strongly under the impression that she is suffering 
from cancer or some malignant form of internal disorder. The 
patient seems to be well nourished, but is extremely nervous 
and persists in explaining her view of the trouble. Examination 
shows that the stomach and intestine are greatly distended, 
due to decomposition and fermentation of food. The sleepless 
nights are brought about through auto- or self-infection. A 
point worth noting in this connection relates to the inability 
to eat anything for breakfast. As soon as food is taken into 
the stomach nausea immediately follows, but she is usually 
ready for the mid-day meal, and as a rule, eats heartily. 

Treatment in this case was conducted solely for the purpose 
of reestablishing, as far as possible, the normal condition of 
the digestion. In addition to the usual hepatin tablet, she 
received the copper arsenite, no grain, both to be taken together 
before meals. By way of instructions as to dietary, this patient 
was advised to avoid roast-beef and beef-steak, and liquids 
during the meal were absolutely interdicted. Improvement in 



NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA 349 

this case was rapid, and complete recovery resulted after a 
few weeks' treatment, although the malady had long continued, 
and a point had been reached when it was a question whether she 
would have to give up her work entirely or enter a sanitarium. 

Mrs. A. is thirty years of age, married, and the mother of 
one child, ten years old. For the past seven or eight years 
she has suffered more or less constantly from attacks of acute 
dyspepsia, occurring principally at night. Various lines of 
treatment have been faithfully carried out under the direction 
of numerous physicians — nineteen in all — during this time, 
and still she depends almost entirely upon domestic remedies, 
such as aromatic spirits of ammonia, whiskey, and rubbing, 
with or without liniments. The patient is well nourished, and 
were it not for the history to the contrary, one would say 
that she enjoyed remarkably good health. The failure to secure 
relief from these sudden attacks, together with the interruption 
of rest, two or three times each week, has caused decided 
depression, but the neurasthenic element has not manifested 
itself — she is hopeful, enthusiastic; confident that her trouble 
will finally be relieved. 

Treatment in this case was very simple, the hepatin tablet 
together with copper arsenite constituted the principal treat- 
ment. The alkaline-saline medication was recommended tem- 
porarily, to be discontinued from time to time in the discretion 
of the patient. She was given special instructions, should any 
further attacks develop, to take the copper arsenite tablet 
at once, and follow with large quantities of water as hot as 
could be sipped, the basis of this treatment being founded 
upon the well known antiseptic properties of copper arsenite. 

Fortunately, however, she never had but one mild attack, 
and with some slight treatment to correct the lime depletion, 
she made a perfect recovery. This statement is warranted by 
the subsequent history — nearly three years has now elapsed, 
and there has been no return of the nervous depression or the 
dyspepsia, but of course, the instructions as to dietary have 
been carried out with a reasonable degree of care, and that is 
all that is necessary to enjoy good health. 



350 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Mrs. N. is 30 years of age, married, and the mother of three 
children. For several years past she has suffered from obscure 
internal difficulty, and her medical attendant has insisted that 
there was no probability of recovery without an operation. 
The patient is very thin, but does not look emaciated, although 
a cursory examination shows that she is subject to intestinal 
indigestion, the symptoms being well marked abdominal dis- 
tension, constipation, nervousness, insomnia, irritability and 
a general feeling of profound exhaustion. 

In this case the treatment was conducted for the purpose 
of correcting the indigestion and restoring the lime content 
of the nerve structures, which had been depleted by the per- 
sistent acid excess. The pelvic tissues were greatly relaxed 
and as a matter of course it was necessary to support and relieve 
the relaxation, which was readily accomplished by means of 
the ordinary wool tampon, the patient being instructed to 
introduce it herself, and to adopt or maintain a suitable position 
in bed so as to relieve the pressure on the ovary. 

As a result of treatment conducted for a few weeks, the 
demand for an operation had vanished, and the patient became 
hopeful, less irritable with her children, and secured comfortable 
and refreshing sleep. 

Gastralgia. — Gastralgia, or neuralgia of the stomach, for 
the general practitioner, is usually an extremely difficult 
case to handle successfully, unless it happens to be distinctly 
rheumatic in origin. In the latter case, of course, treatment 
for rheumatism, along with regulated diet, will be sufficient 
to correct the disorder. When, however, the gastralgia 
arises from impairment of the nerve supply, as in the case 
of magnesium infiltration, such patients usually experience 
long years of suffering, going from one physician to another, 
until finally they give up hope entirely, convinced that 
they are suffering from some incurable ailment, such as 
cancer, ulcer, or some malignant infection, secondary to 
involvement of the liver. 

The following case submitted to me by a physician of 
long experience in one of the Southern states is a fairly 



GASTRALGIA 351 

good illustration of the persistent character of the disorder 
described above. By way of preliminary to asking advice, 
the doctor extends a high compliment in referring to the 
monograph, "Magnesium Infiltration," saying, "It's the 
best article I have read in fifty years — every line is a chunk 
of gold. Will you kindly advise me as to this case?" 

"A married lady, 23 years of age (I am the eighth doctor 
on this case), has, as I diagnose, gastralgia — bad digestion, 
severe cramps in the stomach, whether she eats or not, and 
fearfully constipated. It may be ulcer, but I hardly think so. 
She is afraid to eat on account of the severe pain. Since I 
have had the case under observation I can relieve the pain 
by Hoffman's anodyne." 

With such limited information, the diagnosis and treat- 
ment of such a difficult case seems out of the question without 
a careful personal investigation. However, the question is 
not so difficult as it appears, because at least several of this 
patient's previous attendants have considered the rheumatic 
origin of the disorder, and therefore, it was assumed that treat- 
ment of the rheumatic element had proved unsuccessful. The 
next question coming up relates to cancer, but there is no history 
of emaciation, and besides, the patient is too young to have 
cancer. There is a possibility that there might be ulceration, 
although there is no history of hemorrhage, and this is very 
likely to occur in protracted cases. Indeed, there is a probability 
of more or less congestion of the mucous membrane of the 
stomach, and the persistence of pain, whether food is taken 
or not, is rather in favor of ulcer; but without the bleeding we 
can regard ulcer of the stomach in this instance as a remote 
possibility, and conduct treatment accordingly. 

Assuming that we have to deal with magnesium infiltration 
affecting the nerve supply of the stomach, we can account for 
the pain, because the organ is partly insulated, that is, the nerve 
supply is defective, because of the electro-plating process which 
has taken place. We may also assume that the liver is similarly 
involved, and therefore, the output of bile is more or less irregular, 
the ducts, or bile canals, being engorged by the bile produced 



352 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

through the cellular activity of the organ. Ordinarily, cases 
of this character develop jaundice, and it is probable that an 
attack of jaundice would have proved beneficial. 

Coming now to the medical treatment, we must provide 
against the septic condition of the stomach. Necessarily, with 
constant pain and the usual flow of mucus, there must be a 
luxuriant bacterial flora, for which copper arsenite is available. 
In addition to this, we must adopt measures for the purpose 
of stimulating the liver function, and fortunately, we find the 
hepatin tablet an efficient remedy for this purpose, besides 
being a valuable combination to stimulate the secretions of 
the stomach. Further, it must be assumed that this patient 
could not possibly suffer from gastralgia, except as a result of 
continued acid excess, and thus, it is a very simple and easy 
matter to determine treatment — restore the digestive capacity 
by copper arsenite together with the hepatin tablet; neutralize 
acid excess by alkaline-saline treatment. 

In writing to my correspondent advising the above treat- 
ment, it was suggested that if he would write me again after 
treatment had been continued for a week or ten days, I would 
prescribe further, explaining and demonstrating why he had 
the obstinate constipation, and promising to give the necessary 
instructions to secure relief. 

My correspondent's next letter confirmed the therapeutic 
deductions, his report being as follows: 

My gastralgia patient has had no pain in three weeks. 
I put her under treatment as suggested the day I received 
instructions from you. 

Insanity. — It seems a far cry from the deterioration in 
wire fences to disorders of the nervous system, but the 
relation is closer and more direct than one would suppose, 
owing to atmospheric contamination. It is a fact that near 
the sea-shore as well as in the vicinity of manufacturing 
plants in suburban sections, which pollute the atmos- 
phere with sulphurous gases, wire fences show rust more 
quickly than in rural communities. With an average of 
ten per cent, impurities in the city atmosphere, it is not 



INSANITY 353 

strange that nervous disorders, including insanity, are less 
prevalent in the rura districts, in consequence of the favor- 
able climatic conditions. 

No longer shall we hear discussed the academic question, 
"What shall we do with the insane?" because the evidence 
is clear that insanity as well as all forms of "nervousness" 
are due to demonstrable chemic deviations from normal, 
conditions in many instances amenable to medical treatment 
in accordance with the teachings here advocated. Hence, 
the inquiry will indicate a more hopeful aspect — in view 
of the rational, practical, and withal, the scientific founda- 
tion underlying the new departure. "What shall we do for 
the insane?" is destined to become the all-important ques- 
tion in the near future. 

When we consider how sudden and unpremeditated an 
attack of infantile paralysis occurs, how unexpected the 
fatality in heart failure and apoplexy, coupled with the 
prompt relief afforded in the delirium of septicemia when 
the chemic deviation is corrected, there should be no mystery 
in the sudden onset of insanity. That the morbid complexus 
(syndrome), is difficult to understand is not denied, but the 
same is true concerning the hallucinations following the 
administration of cannabis indica (Indian hemp). How- 
ever, the difficulties are not altogether insuperable when we 
come to a critical study of the chemic problem in nutrition. 

Thus, usually, if not invariably, we have a history ante- 
cedent to the onset, of acute or chronic intestinal indigestion. 
Indeed, it happens not infrequently that auto- or self-infec- 
tion, such as potmain poisoning, develops in juxtaposition 
with insanity, or that the latter condition is manifested in 
continuity, the toxic element being held responsible in both 
instances. In this study, therefore, we get a faint glimpse 
of the cause of the cause of insanity — evidently some derange- 
ment in nerve coordination, a tangled skein, to be sure, but 
not impossible of solution, because many cases of acute 
mania recover, as a result of, or in spite of, treatment. 

This is notably true of puerperal mania, the insanity 
following childbirth. In these cases we have to deal with 
23 



354 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

a serious derangement in the nervous mechanism incident 
to the depletion of the lime content, this drain being coinci- 
dent with the development of the embryo. With proper 
care and attention to the nutrition, such cases apparently 
make a spontaneous recovery. Although anodynes, hypno- 
tics and other therapeutic measures are carried out in 
detail, no one has the temerity to claim that they are more 
than temporary expedients, conceding that nutrition alone 
is our main dependence. 

Nearly ten years ago an illustrative case came under 
observation. The patient, a married woman, upwards of 30, 
and mother of several children, had been confined in the county 
insane asylum for several months, without apparent benefit. 

While on a tour of inspection, the resident physician pointed 
out the patient, saying, "Doctor, I would like to do something 
for this young woman. She is the wife of a farmer in moderate 
circumstances, and the mother of a very interesting family 
of children. She was brought here three months ago, but 
shows no improvement. What can you suggest in the line of 
treatment?" 

Testing the saliva with blue litmus paper, we found it 
highly acid, but there was no special reason, as far as the exam- 
ination extended, to believe that this patient suffered from any 
other nervous derangement, except the magnesium infiltration. 
The treatment advised consisted merely in the employment of 
calcium salts to promote magnesium dissociation, together with 
the alkaline-saline treatment for the purpose of correcting or 
neutralizing the acid excess, along with a regulated dietary, 
and as a result, this patient returned to her home in a perfectly 
normal condition within six weeks. 

Goiter. — In view of the evidence brought forward by 
Sajous and his followers, there is no occasion to discuss 
the questions relating to the influence of the ductless glands 
upon the vital activities. It remains simply to show how 
the chemic deviation designated acid excess affects the 
functional activity of these organs. Taking the thyroid 



GOITER 355 

as an illustration, we know that it is composed principally 
of a colloid substance; hence, its susceptibility to magnesium 
oxide (calcined magnesia). When the conditions are favor- 
able — acid excess from intestinal indigestion, with the 
coincident depletion of the lime content — the usual chemic 
deviation takes place, magnesium nucleo-proteids are formed, 
which lack the property of imbibition (absorpt on). Proof 
of this deduction is found in the immediate and marked 
effects attending treatment conducted for the sole purpose 
of promoting magnesium dissociation — as the following 
cases will show: 

Mrs. R., age 35, married, no children, is apparently enjoying 
perfect health, but for several years past she has suffered from 
pain in the neck, location being central — in the thyroid gland. 
She has been treated for this difficulty by several physicians 
from time to time, but without obtaining even temporary relief. 
There is no heart trouble so far as can be learned, neither is 
there any fulness of the eyeballs and no pain, so that whatever 
nervous trouble may be present is due either to the nerve supply 
or to some defect in the gland. For all practical purposes 
it may be assumed that this is a question of minor importance, 
and assuming further that the disorder is due to partial insu- 
lation or to magnesium deposits within the gland itself, it 
would be logical to adopt treatment for the purpose of pro- 
moting magnesium dissociation. Acting upon this general 
proposition, the patient was advised to take the decinormal 
trituration of iodine (iodo-calcium), five tablets, three times 
daily, and she reported a few weeks later that the pain had all 
disappeared after a few days, and so far as I can learn there has 
been no return, although treatment was carried out over five 
years ago. 

Miss S., age 18, is well nourished, and robust looking, and 
presents a picture of perfect health. Still, she has enlargement 
of the thyroid gland with projecting eye-balls, and suffers from 
"nervousness." 

The patient first came under observation two and a half 
years previously, and the serious nature of the malady was 



356 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

explained to her mother, but for some reason treatment was 
discontinued. This patient again came under observation with 
the symptoms of goiter more marked than at first. She was 
unable to wear a tight collar on account of the discomfort 
produced, and usually she adopted the plan of dressing her 
neck so as to hide the enlargement. 

In view of the fact that this young lady has not attained 
her growth, coupled with the well known symptoms character- 
istic of magnesium infiltration — exaggerated knee-jerk, nerv- 
ousness, irritability, and lack of confidence — the treatment in 
this case was clearly indicated. In other words, there was a 
demand for the calcium salts to supply the necessary bone- 
making material as well as the nerve tissues, the object being 
to promote magnesium dissociation according to the law of 
mass action. 

Treatment was continued on this basis for nearly two 
months with the result that all symptoms disappeared, the 
patient becoming normal in every respect. 

Vomiting of Pregnancy. — While this is a common disorder 
and usually causes no serious difficulty, and frequently 
disappears without being perceptibly affected by medication, 
it is nevertheless true that extreme cases occur in which 
an operation is demanded to save the patient's life. I 
have had within the past few years several communications 
from different physicians who have taken up with my 
suggestions regarding the employment of calcium salts, 
which fully warrant the claims advanced relating to the 
curative treatment of this malady. One case may be 
mentioned, reported by a physician of twenty years' experi- 
ence, in which two previous pregnancies had been terminated 
by artificial delivery and the third threatened to be equally 
as serious as the other two, but with the administration of 
calcium salts, relief was afforded after a few days or a 
week, and the patient went on to full term without further 
complications. 

Review. — The radical character of the teachings, coupled 
with the concrete evidences in support of the claims advanced, 



REVIEW 357 

will affect the reader according to his point of view. A 
limited number of doctors who have failed to receive satis- 
factory results from following the beaten path, as laid down 
in the text-books, will extend hearty welcome, volunteering 
to cooperate, by extending the advantages to their patients. 
Others, priding themselves upon their conservatism and 
regularity, and above all, their experience, will scarcely 
give the subject a second thought, claiming that the argu- 
ments are pretentious, sophistical and illogical, unworthy 
of credence, simply because they have never before been 
presented to the profession. However, it is confidently 
assumed that a dispassionate study of these questions 
must lead finally to an impartial decision on their merits, 
but it will not include those who are handicapped by the 
peculiar stereotropism incident to tradition. 

It will be urged that the number of remedial agents — less 
than a dozen, all told — is too meagre to cope with the almost 
infinite variety of manifestations incident to diseases of 
the nervous system. That criticism might be answered by 
referring to the latest edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica 
— while the English alphabet contains but 26 letters, this 
voluminous work includes no less than 44,000,000 words. 
It is neither multiplicity of words, nor the geometric com- 
binations possible from the remedies, which make for sim- 
plicity and efficiency; rather, it is in the discriminating 
employment of drugs in accord with the definite and unerring 
laws of chemistry. It is both rational and practical, and 
thus we have advanced one step further in establishing the 
art of medicine upon a scientific basis. 

For the intelligent reader, who is but slightly acquainted 
with medical terms, it is not difficult to understand the 
significance between psychic influences and chemic reactions; 
nor can it be asserted with candor that he is unable to 
comprehend the importance of alkalescence as a factor in 
maintaining a normal health standard — and it is a very 
simple matter to test the saliva with blue litmus paper. 

Rest and exercise are considered as merely temporary 
expedients in the treatment of nervous disorders, because 



358 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

any benefits accruing must be in direct relation with the 
reactions arising from various chemic changes taking place 
in the nerve structures themselves, and so long as the physio- 
logic basis is unbalanced — by acid excess — such changes are 
proverbially slow : and at best uncertain. 

Studying the forms of invasion, or the peculiar types of 
involvement, when acid excess leads to abnormal deposits 
of magnesium salts with consecutive or coincident depletion 
of the lime content, the classification is simple, practical, 
and withal, in accord with scientific research. Further, 
it is amply confirmed by clinical observation and medical 
treatment, so that "he who runs may read." Indeed, when 
one is able to comprehend the motor and sensory functions 
of nerves, he can easily and readily determine whether one 
or both sets are involved — just as a merchant or banker can 
tell when his telephone connection is interrupted. Mag- 
nesium insulation is quite as effective in hindering the trans- 
mission of nerve impulses as the "grounding" of a telephone 
wire inhibits transmission of the human voice, because 
electricity is the energy responsible for both. 

The plans relating to treatment are given sufficiently 
in detail in the recorded cases to enable any physician of 
ordinary intelligence to take up with the suggestions without 
any unnecessary delay, these being typical cases in the 
disorders mentioned, always provided, of course, that these 
special methods are faithfully adopted and not engrafted 
upon the routine and traditional methods in vogue. 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.— Concluded. 

Infantile Paralysis — Infectious Nature — A Working Hypothesis 
— Direct Treatment — Acid Excess a Factor — Technical Name — Specific 
Bacterial Infection — Treatment (Tabulation) — Experimental Re- 
searches — Mode of Invasion — Infantile Paralysis at Birth — Sepsis in 
all Disorders — Treatment after the Acute Stage — Clinical Reports — 
Quartation — Characteristics. 

Chorea — Definition — Causative Factors — Idiopathic — Septic Infec- 
tion — Arterio-sclerosis — Athetosis — The Chemic Deviation — Paralysis 
Agitans — Huntingdon's Chorea — Tabulation (The Causative Factors) 
— Hysterical Chorea — Writer's Cramp — Pregnancy — Rational vs. 
Scientific (?) Treatment (Tabulation) — Rational Treatment (Tabula- 
tion) . 

INFANTILE PARALYSIS. 

The original plan of this work included an entire section 
devoted to diseases of children, with a view to placing in 
the hands of the profession a complete exposition of the 
rational treatment of the disorders incident to childhood 
and adolescence, but the material accumulated so rapidly 
and the field of investigation expanded to such an extent — for 
a sketch — that it had to be recast. However, I have in- 
cluded in these final pages a presentation of the principles 
which should govern or regulate the medical treatment of 
infantile paralysis and chorea, both of these disorders 
furnishing typical illustrations of the correctness of the 
deductions previously advanced. 

But the reader should not be misled into believing that 
any attempt is made here to discountenance the present 
theories regarding the specific or pathogenic character of the 
infection in acute poliomyelitis; nor, should it be assumed 
that the line of treatment is calculated to antidote the infec- 
tion, either directly or indirectly, immediate or remote, 
since it has to deal exclusively with the effects. St 11, the 
suggestion is offered, that in all severe ailments of children, 



360 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

with continued high temperature, such as diphtheria, scarlet 
fever, measles, bowel troubles and even simple fever, it 
would be a wise precaution to neutralize the coincident acid 
excess, to the end that normal innervation shall be main- 
tained. This innovation as a prophylactic is none the less 
significant and important because it is new or novel, since 
the rationale is amply confirmed by the teachings of physi- 
ology. It must be admitted that neglect of a fundamental 
principle neither nullifies, nor renders it obsolete. 

In the case of chorea, hitherto one of the most intractable 
nervous disorders, the accompanying diagram will show at 
a glance the marked contrast between rational and so-called 
scientific treatment — while the former points unerringly to 
correction of the underlying chemic deviation, the latter 
is characteristically fluctuating and uncertain, simply be- 
cause it lacks the essential basis of scientific accuracy. No 
cases are reported, for the reason that no material difficulties 
arise to confuse the mental picture incident, to the treatment 
of any particular disease in which magnesium infiltration 
is the complication — and every physician should be able 
to recognize this chemic deviation just as any student in 
geometry recognizes that the three angles of a triangle are 
equal to two right angles. 

Infectious Nature. — The infectious nature of infantile 
paralysis has long been recognized, and various theories, 
more or less plausible, have been put forward — but the end 
is not yet. In studying the chemic problem in nutrition, 
we sometimes have to work backward, first determining 
the effect of the disease upon the tissues — in short, the 
pathology — at the present time, a terra incognita. 

Evidence of this is to be found when the peculiarities of 
treatment are considered, as the following extracts from 
a "Symposium," 1 on this topic will show. The first con- 
tributor says: 

" The physician should realize that he is dealing with a general 
infection involving all the organs as well as the entire nervous 

1 Journal of American Medical Association, October 22, 1910. 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS 361 

system and apply the same general principles of treatment as 
in other infectious diseases; hence, the important principle of 
treatment is elimination. This includes thorough depurative 
action on the bowels, the ingestion of a liberal amount of fluid 
to promote excretion from the kidneys, the use of remedies to 
stimulate diaphoresis, a liquid, nourishing diet, and proper 
temperature and ventilation of the room." 

The second is from the pen of a neurologist, as follows : 

"No reference has been made to medicinal treatment, for 
the simple reason that I know of no drug which has the slightest 
effect upon the spinal lesion, or on the paralyzed muscles after 
the acute stage has been passed. I am very certain that injec- 
tions of strychnine or of arsenic are absolutely useless, though 
there can be no objection to the use of the ordinary blood and 
nerve tonics, provided the practitioner keeps in mind that he 
is attempting to improve the general condition of the patient, 
and is not endeavoring directly to effect a change, either in 
the spinal cord or in the paralyzed nerves and muscles." 

In conclusion, this writer says he pins his faith to intelligent 
gymnastic exercises, adding: "We have no right to claim that 
any case is a hopeless one, and much can be done by properly 
directed therapeutic efforts," meaning, of course, mechanic 
stimulus. 

The first is rash in the face of ignorance — in fact, the 
line of treatment advocated is a notable display of ignorance. 
What possible advantage can be gained from depletion when 
the nervous mechanism is at a stand-still? Such measures 
might be available under rare conditions — when the revul- 
sive effect is expected to produce a stimulus — but not in 
the case of infantile paralysis when the vital functions are 
at such a low ebb. 

The second contributor confounds the first by his absolute 
disbelief in any remedial agents in the line of drugs, but he 
is far from the practical side of the question when he insists 
that treatment should be confined or limited to "improving 
the general condition of the patient." On the contrary, 



362 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

treatment should be conducted for the special purpose of 
effecting a change, a chemic change, in "the spinal cord, 
and in the paralyzed nerves and muscles." In view of the 
utter condemnation of all medicinal measures, it is difficult 
to reconcile his hopeful attitude as a result of "properly 
directed therapeutic efforts." 

A Working Hypothesis. — Now, as a working hypothesis, 
reasoning in the abstract, we assume that as a result of 
infection, or of inflammation arising therefrom, factitious 
deposits have occurred in the nerve structures to hinder, 
impede, or destroy their capacity for the transmission of 
impulses, motor and sensory. From Loew's interesting, 
instructive and illuminative work, we have learned that 
an acid will deplete the lime content of the nuclear proteid 
and that coincidently or consecutively, magnesium replaces 
it, the transformation resulting in a magnesium nucleo- 
proteid, which lacks the capacity for absorption (imbibition), 
and is therefore unable to functionate. 

As in disease we have to deal constantly with an acid 
excess, the hypothesis of magnesium infiltration by replace- 
ment is plausible — and what is more to the point, we can 
demonstrate or disprove the correctness of this theory by 
administering calcium — to promote dissociation according 
to the law of mass action — and overcome, relieve or cure the 
paralysis. 

Undoubtedly, mild cases of infantile paralysis make a 
spontaneous recovery, by or through the means here indi- 
cated, because the calcium is in the body, the fluids, the 
tissues, and especially in the bones, and through the con- 
servative processes of nature — vis medicatrix natures — it is 
taken from tissues having least demand for it and carried 
to other tissues where particularly needed. Moreover, any 
surplus is eliminated through the intestinal tract — in health, 
while in disease, with acid excess, the loss of lime is a con- 
stant symptom, the loss of magnesia being nominal. Such 
being the case, what unpropitious concatenation of cir- 
cumstances aside from tradition, can be offered as an excuse 
or reason for "thorough depurative action on the bowels"? 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS 363 

This modern slogan is calculated to oause irreparable 
injury — in "clearing the decks for action," the medical 
attendant is throwing overboard his most valuable ammu- 
nition. 

Replacement, however, is not the only mode in which 
nerves become paralyzed. It was through the careful, sys- 
tematic, critical and persistent laboratory work of Thomas 
A. Edison that we learned about the susceptibility of organic 
colloids to magnesium oxide. With the various magnesium 
salts present in the body, together with oxidase as a con- 
stant product of cellular activity, it is not difficult to 
understand how magnesium oxide may be produced and 
combine chemically with the organic colloids of the nerves, 
to destroy function. 

The internal administration of magnesium in any form, 
therefore, is strictly contra-indicated, because it will cer- 
tainly hasten, if it does not precipitate, the unfortunate 
denouement. Thus, when acid excess is the dominant factor 
in depleting the lime content, replacement occurs; later, 
when the normal alkalinity of the body fluids and tissues is 
restored, the danger arises from chemic transformation, the 
calcined magnesia uniting with the colloids composing the 
nerve structures. 

Direct treatment for simple replacement has been suggested, 
and is immediately available, whether the paralysis affects 
the spinal cord, the nerve trunks, or the terminal filaments. 
The direct treatment for relief of chemic transformation 
must necessarily be determined from the known physico- 
chemic reactions. We have to deal with a new chemic 
product; hence, we cannot say that the carbonic acid of 
the body fluids will be sufficient to effect solution because 
magnesium oxide is soluble in weak solutions of carbon 
dioxide. This new product, fortunately, is amenable to 
alteratives, given for the purpose of acting upon the organic 
particles of the compound, when the inorganic portion is 
flushed out through the blood stream — which should be 
alkaline and carry sufficient carbon dioxide to hold the 
discarded magnesium in solution. 



364 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Acid Excess a Factor. — Evidently, the first effect is due 
to a cause, bacterial or otherwise, a contributory cause 
being the acidity. The logical deduction is, therefore, to 
remove or mitigate the contributory factor — that is, neu- 
tralize the acid excess, and lessen if we cannot remove the 
constant barrier. That acid excess is a serious obstacle 
to recovery is quite conceivable when we realize that it is 
abnormal — and so long as this abnormal condition remains, 
perfect health is impossible of attainment. 

The progressive character of infantile paralysis arises 
from still another factor, the third division of the classifi- 
cation adopted — magnesium united with calcium. Whether it 
is replacement or chemic transformation, there is "reaction," 
increased temperature and congestion with plastic exu- 
dation, and as the case advances, unless the exudate is 
absorbed, new tissue is formed, different from the original — 
and frequently we find calcareous deposits, brought about 
through the influence of the original deposits. The counter- 
part of this is seen in advanced age, although in childhood 
and adolescence, the tendency is rather to the formation 
of fibrous tissue. 

Strange as it may appear, so-called infantile paralysis 
is not an infection confined to infants. Both adolescents 
and adults are equally liable, but not susceptible in the 
same degree — perhaps because they are better able to with- 
stand the prostration incident to serious illness. When it is 
understood that this somewhat occult disorder is character- 
ized by profound depression of all the vital organs, physical, 
mental and vegetative, the foregoing seems to be a logical 
deduction, although this is but a superficial estimate of 
the morbid complexus. 

Technical Name. — Technically, infantile paralysis is known 
as anterior poliomyelitis, and usually occurs in the acute 
form — myelitis, inflammation of the spinal cord, and polio, 
meaning many or much, while anterior refers to the part of 
the cord affected — actually, the motor portion of the cord. 
The motor area for different muscles is found in the anterior 
cornua (horns) of the cord, and degenerative changes 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS 365 

affecting these areas lead to paralysis and atrophy of the 
respective muscles supplied. 

In addition to this, however, we have central motor areas 
located in the brain which, when similarly affected, lead 
to paralysis and wasting of groups of muscles. In view 
of these well established scientific facts, it is difficult to 
understand how or why a bacterial infection should attack 
and expend its energy upon the anterior or motor area of 
the cord to the exclusion of the central motor area in the 
brain. Indeed, the systemic manifestations are so uni- 
versal and pronounced that we must concede at least a 
degree of involvement of the central motor area. 

Specific Bacterial Infection. — The question of Specific 
bacterial invasion being unsettled, we are still compelled 
to admit sepsis in some of its multitudinous varieties as 
the exciting or causative factor, but until such has been 
isolated and thoroughly demonstrated, treatment must be 
regulated for the special purpose of counteracting the 
effects. In other words, we must determine the nature of 
the cause which produces subversion in the nerve structures 
— bacterial infection has nothing to do with its removal; 
it is here today and gone tomorrow, but the paralysis 
remains. It is not mental, else it could be eradicated by 
dialectics, according to the theory of Dubois; mere physical 
debility would show decided recuperative effects from 
improvement in the nutrition, but, unfortunately, these 
cases are progressive, and go from bad to worse; hence, 
we must consider the chemic problem in nutrition. 

In my previous remarks I have pointed out the continued 
and persistent acid excess, coupled with diminished alkalinity 
of the blood as the causative factor in depleting the lime 
content of the nuclear proteid with replacement by mag- 
nesium, thus hindering, impeding or destroying the capacity 
for the uninterrupted transmission of nerve impulses. Not 
only does simple replacement occur, but chemic trans- 
formation may also take place through the action of mag- 
nesium oxide upon the colloids of the nerve structures — the 
only substance known to produce this effect. 



366 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

These scientific facts, when aligned with the well known 
clinical facts, will serve to shed a flood of light upon the 
rational treatment of this most intractable disorder. In 
order to give this article a practical turn, I venture the 
following tabulation or schema as a partial outline of the 
treatment advocated: 

Treatment of Infantile Paralysis (Schema). 
I. Direct: (?) To overcome sepsis (bacterial invasion) . 

Neutralize acid excess — alkaline-saline; 

f Replacement — calcium 
II. Collateral: 1 Promote magnesium J salts; 

dissociation : ] Chemic transformation — 

I iodine. 

f Fever: Arterial sedatives — gelsemium; 
I Suppuration: Calcium sulphide; 
III. Symptomatic: -j Pain: Acetanilide with caffeine; 

| Constipation: Mercury biniodide with podo- 
[ phyllin. 

f Diet and hygiene; 
IV. General: \ Inunctions, massage, baths; 

[ Electricity, oxygen enemata. 

In the above schema I have placed a query for the remedy 
to overcome sepsis, awaiting laboratory reports identifying 
the infection. Although I have never treated a case of this 
character in the acute stage, I have fully crystallized my 
ideas on the subject of neutralizing or liquefying the infec- 
tion — a vegetable microorganism (?),* but I will not intrude 
my views at the present stage of the campaign. Without 
boasting, however, it will be safe to claim that with attention 
to the reactions, as outlined above, under the head of "col- 
lateral" treatment, infantile paralysis can be prevented. 

The collateral treatment is curative; hence, it is not 
illogical to claim that it is also preventive — and extended 
experience with hyperpyrexia in children is advanced as 
corroborative evidence. In fact, I do not think it is possible 
for infantile paralysis to develop while proper medication 
is employed to maintain as nearly as possible the normal 

1 A nitrate. 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS 367 

alkalinity of the body fluids and tissues. By so doing we 
prevent magnesium transformation, and thus escape the 
complications and consequences. 

Experimental Researches. — The following summary of the 
essential facts relating to the infectious character of the 
disease is condensed from the experimental researches 
conducted by Dr. Simon Flexner, Director of the Rockefeller 
Institute for Medical Research, New York, the experiments 
having been made on monkeys: 

"That the disease was infectious and contagious; that it 
was caused by minute microorganisms, too small to be seen 
under the most powerful microscope; that it entered the body 
through the mucous membranes of the nose and the back part 
of the throat, and that it was given off from the affected person 
through the same channels." 

With this knowledge it is possible already to control the 
disease to an appreciable extent, since the excretions from 
the cavities of the head can be disinfected and their pres- 
ence made perfectly harmless to other persons. This is the 
first step in the extinction of the disease. 

Another interesting fact brought out in these investi- 
gations was the similarity in many respects between the 
organisms causing infantile paralysis and that causing rabies. 
Both are too small to be seen; both are localized in the 
central nervous system, the infection first attacking the 
mucous membranes and then the central nervous system, 
and finally the brain; both gain entrance through the 
oral cavity. The organism responsible for infantile paralysis, 
however, is the smallest of all the microorganisms discovered, 
such as those of yellow fever, pleuro-pneumonia, foot-and- 
mouth disease and smallpox. All of these will pass through 
very fine filters without disinfecting the fluid in which they 
are contained, but the poliomyelitis germ is the smallest of 
all, and no filter has yet been found so fine as to strain out 
these tiny organisms. 

The paralysis attending the disease, according to Dr. 
Flexner, is but an incidental symptom, being due to the 



368 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

inflammation of the membranes, which obstructs circulation. 
The cure for this is to restore the circulation, which is possible 
only when the disease has not yet gained a firm foothold 
in the tissues. 

Mode of Invasion. — Xot the least important fact brought 
out by these investigations relates to the mode of invasion, 
since the general acceptance of this view, with the employ- 
ment of a suitable antiseptic in the nasal cavity will, in all 
probability, effect a marvelous change in the clinical results 
— and not only in the case of infantile paralysis, but in 
every disease of an infectious or contagious character. 
Of course, it is not difficult to understand how diphtheria, 
pneumonia, meningitis, tuberculosis, influenza and other 
microbic disorders may invade the system through the 
mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, but it requires a 
considerable stretch of the imagination to believe in the 
curative value of such a simple procedure, not to mention 
its paramount importance as an effective prophylactic. 

Infantile Paralysis at Birth. — Too much dependence should 
not be placed upon laboratory investigations, however, 
because they do not cover the exceptions to the general 
rule — for example, infantile paralysis at birth (congenital). 
The following is a case in point: 

Male, age four and a half years, had paralysis of right side 
at birth, and although he has always enjoyed good physical 
health, there is absolutely no power in the right arm and leg. 
Still, there is not much atrophy, and the child manages to slide 
over the floor quite lively — on the left hip, using the left arm 
for propulsion. 

Practically, there is no mental development, the child 
being unable to use a single word — his face is a blank. 

Treatment, in accordance with the foregoing schema, was 
instituted with the distinct understanding that it was to be 
entirely experimental, and might be discontinued at any time. 
Besides internal treatment, the dietary was reorganized, with 
the result that in four weeks the child could creep on all-fours, 
using the right arm and leg as well as the left side; he could 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS 369 

place both hands on a chair or the window-sill and raise himself 
on the left leg, the right being useless, owing to impairment of 
the ankle-joint. Three weeks later he was fitted with suitable 
braces and soon learned to walk — with assistance. 

By this time a marked change had taken place in the mental 
condition; he could use a dozen different words intelligently, 
and as the mother wheeled him through a department store, 
she overheard one lady say to another, "What an intelligent 
looking child!" 

Notwithstanding the marvelous transformation, the father 
gave little credit to treatment, saying: "No wonder the child 
did not improve. We never knew before how to feed him." 

I only saw the child six times in three months, treatment 
being discontinued for lack of appreciation — telephone messages 
to send a new supply of the medicine being regarded as more 
than discourteous. 

An important question arises here as to the probable 
cause of paralysis — was it due to infection through the nasal 
cavity, to some form of sepsis transmitted through the 
circulation, or to magnesium infiltration incident to the 
diminished alkalinity of the maternal blood? 

Replying to this inquiry, it will be readily conceded that 
infection through the nasal mucous membrane was impos- 
sible. Sepsis is not improbable, because the child was born 
during a lingering convalescence of the mother after a 
serious illness of typhoid fever. But the sepsis must have 
produced an effect upon the nerve structures, to obtund, 
but not entirely to destroy, function, else it would have been 
utterly impossible to institute any form of medication to 
effect the results described. 

Coming now to the question of magnesium infiltration, 
I take it that sepsis was responsible for the initial lesion, 
that magnesium infiltration occurred consecutively — in 
consequence of the diminished alkalinity of the maternal 
blood — the warrant for this conception being found in the 
results attending treatment conducted for the special purpose 
of promoting magnesium dissociation. 
24 



370 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Sepsis in all Disorders. — In this connection it should be 
stated that sepsis looms large in all disorders. For example, 
a dealer in "bad" eggs here in Philadelphia was recently 
brought before the court on complaint of the State Dairy 
and Food Commission. This man made a business of collect- 
ing "rots and spots/' breaking the bad eggs into large cans, 
and later freezing them. This frozen product was sold to 
bakers throughout the city. 

Physiologic tests of these frozen eggs demonstrated their 
actively poisonous qualities. In the case of two guinea-pigs 
inoculated with eight drops, one of them died in twelve 
hours, and the other in eighteen hours. Later, three drops 
of blood from one of the dead guinea-pigs were injected 
into a third, and this one died in twenty-four hours. Post- 
mortem examination of all of them showed that the bacteria 
had spread throughout the system, causing death by par- 
alysis. A careful bacteriologic estimate showed that the 
body fluids contained at least ten million bacteria to the 
cubic centimeter. 

Treatment after the Acute Stage. — The following details 
relate to treatment after the acute stage: 

To neutralize acidity, the akaline-saline is notably prompt 
and beneficial — as regards all symptoms. The formula 
employed includes lithia, the alkali, sodium sulphate, the 
saline, with the addition of sodium phosphate, equal in 
amount to sodium sulphate. Happily, the alkaline-saline 
treatment is rarely demanded at this stage in the case of 
children, tissue change being sufficiently active to prevent 
reversion in function. In the case of adolescents and adults, 
however, acid salivary reaction is the rule and demands first 
consideration in treatment. 

To promote magnesium dissociation there are two distinct 
indications, as follows : 

1. Antidote for replacement is found in the calcium salts, 
calcium carbonate (vitalized), or calcium sulphate (gypsum), 
usually given in alternation for a week at a time in the form 
of a normal trituration, that is, equal parts of the salt and 
granulated sugar of milk. The first is given when we have 



CLINICAL REPORTS 371 

to deal with a strumous condition — malnutrition; the latter, 
when there is a lack of bone-making material — osteo- 
malacia. The dose of the trituration for children ranges 
from two to five or ten grains three times daily, best given 
in the form of tablet triturates; for adults, the dose ranges 
from ten to twenty or thirty grains, best given in the form 
of capsules. 

2. C hemic transformation in the nerve structures arising 
from the chemic union which takes place when magnesium 
oxide combines chemically with the nerve colloids, is usually 
relieved by the administration of iodine in the form of a 
decinormal trituration. The mixture is prepared by adding 
one part iodine to nine parts calcium oxide (IX trituration 
iodo-calcium) , and this mixture is then subjected to mechanic 
trituration with an equal portion of sugar of milk, thus 
making a decinormal trituration, best given in the form of 
tablet triturates containing one-half grain of the trituration. 
The dose for children varies from two to five tablets three 
times daily, while adults take five tablets three or four 
times daily — but only when the stomach is empty, so that 
we avoid the formation of iodide of starch, an inert substance. 

As to symptomatic medication, the tabulation shows clearly 
the indications for treatment of the various symptoms 
which manifest themselves during the subacute stage. 



CLINICAL REPORTS. 

The following selected cases will serve to elucidate, if 
they do not confirm, the preceding deductions: 

About twenty years ago, two children, females, came under 
observation, owing to the alarming condition which had devel- 
oped as a result of "summer complaint." They had been for 
several weeks under the usual methods of treatment then in 
vogue, anodynes and antiseptics, and both had lost power in 
the legs — they were unable to stand or walk. Now, the question 
is, "Was this infantile paralysis?" Undoubtedly. Apparently, 



372 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

these children were suffering from sepsis as a result of bowel 
trouble. 

Treatment in these two cases was identical; regulation of 
the diet, with the internal employment of copper arsenite in 
small doses, and the result was perfect cure. Now, I have 
watched these two girls grow up to womanhood, and while 
they are apparently healthy, there have always been symptoms 
of deficiency, inability to keep up with their class in school, 
susceptibility to slight ailments, and I am satisfied that both 
have spinal trouble. Evidently only a part of this is attributable 
to the attack in infancy, the most serious difficulty being trace- 
able to lack of proper food to maintain nutrition. 

Another case is that of a boy, about two or three years of 
age, who returned to his home from a prolonged visit with 
relatives who subsist largely upon cereals and delicatessen. 
The child had not been home long before he showed marked 
symptoms of irritability, and was continually falling down and 
crying on the least provocation. 

Improved nutrition overcame this difficulty, and during the 
past ten years I have several times seen evidences of this 
early attack, manifested by spinal irritation (rarefying ostitis), 
with considerable deformity of the pedal extremities (flat-foot). 

"Katie/' age six years, is a typical case of infantile paralysis. 
She is anemic, thin and practically helpless, the strumous 
diathesis personified, although there is no defective mentality. 
From early infancy she has had absolutely no control of her 
legs. When held up to make an attempt to stand, her feet 
spread out, owing to lack of power in the ankles, and she is 
unable to walk a single step, even with support. She also has 
spinal curvature — compound. For a year or more past she 
has had electricity and massage three times a week at an insti- 
tution for crippled children, besides massage at home, all to 
no purpose. 

On the day this patient was seen, six years ago, she was 
brought home fitted with the usual apparatus saddled upon 
these unfortunates, braces and shoes attached, weighing together 
not less than ten pounds, but unable to stand or take a step. 



CLINICAL REPORTS 373 

Treatment consisted in discarding the braces; massage 
was continued, together with the internal medication demanded 
to promote magnesium dissociation, and with a pair of shoes 
to support the ankles, she was able to stand alone in just 
sixty days. Gradually she began to walk, and for more than 
four years has attended school regularly, making very satis- 
factory progress. I saw this patient not more than five times 
while under treatment, and again, recently, when I talked with 
her teacher, so the record is now complete. 

"Jack," age ten years, fairly well-nourished, first came under 
observation suffering from tonsillitis. In the course of the 
examination, it was learned that he had suffered from infantile 
paralysis when less than two years of age. Hearing in the 
left ear was destroyed, he was blind in the right eye, and had con- 
stantly dragged the right foot. An operation had been done 
to relieve contraction of the tendon so as to let the heel come 
to the ground, but he could not run nor go up stairs except 
one step at a time, favoring the right leg. It was suggested 
that power in the right leg might be improved by internal 
treatment, but like most people, the parents were suspicious 
that it might be wrong to interfere with Providence. It ap- 
peared to them that if anything could be done to relieve the 
"dragging," it would have received attention at the hands of 
the orthopedic surgeon who did the operation, because this 
surgeon had shown him before his class, spring and fall, every 
year. However, two months later he came for treatment, and 
as a result he was able to hop with the right leg in less than 
two weeks. Later, I learned that he had greatly improved, that 
he was able to take his own part at school, and had gotten 
into a fight, coming off victorious, although up to that time 
he had shown no disposition to defend himself. 

Of course, this is what might be termed an aggravated 
case, the paralysis being accompanied by deafness and 
blindness; but I want to direct attention to the serious 
character of the diathesis, unless proper measures are taken 
to counteract the peculiar tendency to magnesium infiltration. 



374 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

For example, this boy was brought in to see me recently, 
and his mother said he had experienced a shock. The boy 
said, "No, it was not a shock; it seemed as though a spear 
went through me" — from the abdomen to the head, and since 
that time he has suffered from "spots" before the eyes. 
While it is not certain, the probabilities are that these 
spots will disappear by or through the use of remedies 
which promote magnesium dissociation. Treatment advised 
at this visit resulted in the prompt disappearance of the 
"spots." 

Mary H., ten years of age, weighs about 80 pounds, and is 
a typical example of the effects of anterior poliomyelitis. About 
two years and nine months previous to this visit she was 
thrown from a moving car, falling upon the right side. This 
accident left a wound on the right side of the head — upper part 
of the parietal bone — which has continued as a running sore. 
Notwithstanding the persistent use of local remedies, the wound 
refuses to heal — 57 different varieties of ointments having been 
used in vain. Besides, we have a claw-like contraction of the 
fingers of the left hand, with very little power. The patient 
drags the left leg, the heel being scarcely raised from the floor, 
and she is unable to run, or walk up and down stairs without 
assistance. 

In addition to this, there is pronounced lateral curvature 
of the spine, the crest of the ilium on the left side being at least 
one inch higher than that of the right. Three eminent ortho- 
pedic surgeons have been consulted, and in each instance the 
mother has been told that it would not only be useless to employ 
internal treatment, but they have also warned her of the dangers 
arising therefrom. The mother was very anxious to have another 
local application for the running sore on the head, but was 
told that it would not be necessary, as treatment for the 
paralysis would also heal the wound. 

Treatment in this case on the lines indicated, resulted in 
prompt improvement, the patient being able to walk up and 
down stairs, not only with comfort but with confidence, in 



CLINICAL REPORTS 375 

three days. Two weeks later the wound on the scalp was 
practically well, and the power in the left hand had increased 
at least one hundred per cent., while control of the left leg and 
foot was so far improved that the child was able to go about 
without any difficulty. 

The important feature in this case relates to the original 
malady, an accident, followed by sepsis. Another associated 
factor relates to diet. This child had the usual prominent 
abdomen as a result of "loading" up with cereals. Ten days 
after treatment was instituted the patient's aunt called, and 
in surprise, said, " Why, Mary, what has the doctor done with 
your tummy?" The abdominal distension had disappeared. 

I should have stated that previous to the first consul- 
tation this patient had received electric treatment together 
with massage, but without any apparent benefit. The 
probabilities are that with attention to nutrition, and 
continued medication to promote magnesium dissociation, 
this patient will make a complete recovery, although time 
will be required to correct the spinal deviation. 

In the above case we have a fairly complete illustration of 
the effects following septic infection as a result of an accident, 
and this brings us back to the original proposition, namely, 
that in all cases of anterior poliomyelitis, the central motor 
area in the brain is involved at least to some extent. The 
following case is placed on record because it shows clearly 
how we may have anterior poliomyelitis as a result of sepsis 
alone. 

The subject is a man, 40 years of age, and has suffered 
several years from recurrent attacks of boils. I met this gentle- 
man recently, and in reply to the usual salutation, "How are 
you?", he said, "I am much better since I returned from the 
country, but I had a pretty serious time last summer. I was 
operated upon for adenoids, and although the operator was a 
surgeon of wide reputation, it seems that an accident occurred — 
he must have struck the spinal nerve. You can see how my left 
hand has shrunken, and I have very little power in it; besides, 



376 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

I have lost considerable power in the left leg." I said, "What 
are you doing for it?", and in reply he said, "Oh, the doctors 
can't do anything for that. My family physician told me that 
it would be useless, as well as dangerous to take anything 
internally, and that the only hope was that nature in time 
would overcome the defect." 

Judging from observation and experience, I am under 
the impression that this idea prevails with the medical 
profession generally, and it seems like flying in the face of 
Providence when an effort is made to correct the delusion. 
This man, with treatment directed to removal of the 
magnesium deposits, would get rid of the paralysis in the 
course of a few weeks. As it is, the left hand will eventually 
show contracture, and the left leg will atrophy and become 
less useful than at present. In other words, this man faces 
progressive paralysis, and yet he knows that cure is an 
impossibility, simply because his family physician has told 
him so. 

Quartation. — In the treatment of infantile paralysis, the 
physician is placed in a position like that of the metallurgist 
when given a sample of ore to determine whether or not 
it contains gold. The ore is first crushed, and even the most 
minute particle contains its fractional portion of the precious 
metal — usually associated with some other metal, iron, cop- 
per, zinc, lead, etc. In the assay process, which is smelting 
on a small scale, the resulting "button" found in the bottom 
of the crucible contains all the gold together with such other 
metals as have not been completely oxidized. The work 
is completed by separating or discarding the impurities, and 
this is also effected by oxidation. A cupel, made of ground 
bone-ash, is employed — the cupel readily absorbs the oxide 
of all metals, but since gold resists oxidation, it escapes, 
and is found in the form of a button of pure gold remaining 
in the cupel. 

To determine both the gold and silver, the above described 
process must be supplemented by an operation known as 
"quartation," which illustrates mass action. Thus, it might 



CLINICAL REPORTS 377 

be assumed that heating the button containing both gold 
and silver with nitric acid would be sufficient to dissolve 
the silver content, but this is an error, since the estimated 
amount of silver to gold must be 3 to 1 to effect dissociation 
or "parting" — and this is the special and peculiar feature to 
be kept constantly in mind, if we expect or hope to promote 
magnesium dissociation in the case of infantile paralysis. 

Characteristics. — By way of illustration, certain character- 
istics may be passed in review, as follows : When the effect is 
merely physical, such as paralysis with wasting of one or both 
legs, we can understand how it may arise from impairment 
in nerve conduction; when followed by mental deficiency, 
feeble-mindedness,or idiocy, our first assumption or deduction 
is notably confirmed; when degeneracy, epilepsy, or insanity 
develop as sequelae, however, the evidence is overwhelming 
that radical changes have taken place in the nerve structures. 

Following up this line of inquiry, just as the chemist 
proceeds with his work, we are confronted with several 
probable and possible conditions, first and foremost being 
sepsis, which can be mitigated, and in large measure con- 
trolled, through alkalescence in conjunction with medi- 
cation to stimulate the lymph-glandular apparatus. In this 
instance we have to deal with a physico-chemic problem, 
and success or failure hinges upon our ability to establish 
and maintain leucocytosis — to the end that any tendency 
to suppuration shall be arrested. 

Next in order, we have to deal with a problem which is 
purely chemic in character — the magnesium deposits, which 
impede, hinder, or destroy the capacity of the nerve struc- 
tures for the uninterrupted transmission of impulses. 
Depending upon the character of the deposit, dissociation 
may be accomplished in three different ways, as previously 
elaborated. In recent cases the probable results are favor- 
able, as the foregoing reports and those following will show. 
As the case advances in point of time, of course, it is pos- 
sible that sepsis or infiltration, or both together, may give 
rise to new tissue formation, in which case the effects are 
permanent. Again, children and adolescents have a more 



378 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

favorable outlook than adults and those of advanced age, 
not only because of the active tissue change, but for the 
reason that acid excess, or acid "habit" in the adult was alone 
responsible for the susceptibility to infection. 

Spontaneous recovery from infantile paralysis is exceed- 
ingly rare; the same is true in respect to most cases where 
modern treatment is carried out in detail; and yet it is a 
fact that many cases which are exceptionally unpromising 
are not altogether hopeless, when rational measures are 
adopted for the purpose of correcting the chemic deviation, 
that is, promoting magnesium dissociation. This is well 
illustrated in the following case which was undertaken some 
time ago at the suggestion of a former patient. This gentle- 
man had a friendly consultation with me in regard to his 
grandchild, then four and a half years of age, and up to 
that period had never shown evidences of intelligence, nor 
spoken a single word. 

I did not see the child, and the treatment was carried on 
indirectly and somewhat irregularly, but the results have proven 
far more satisfactory than were anticipated. 

This child at birth had spastic contraction of the fingers and 
toes. Perhaps a year or more elapsed before the contractions 
of the fingers relaxed, but the child was nearly three years of 
age before the toes relaxed, and this was later accomplished by 
means of shoes. 

However, the shoes did not enable the child to walk; and, 
in consequence, arch-supports were employed with almost im- 
mediate benefit — the child was able to walk and run just 
like other children within a month. Several medical consul- 
tations had failed to afford any advantage or relief, and the 
different consultants, of course, gave their personal opinion 
as to the diagnosis. Some considered the child merely feeble- 
minded — giving encouragement to believe that in time it 
would show mental development; again, the diagnosis was 
given as idiocy, and the outlook hopeless; still, another diag- 
nosis was that of confirmed cretinism, and of course, that 
meant a progressive disorder. 



CLINICAL REPORTS 379 

My impression of this case was that the spastic contractions 
at birth were due to sepsis, and that the resulting inflam- 
mation had led to magnesium deposits which interfered 
with mental development, although it was pointed out 
that there was a possibility that this inflammatory action 
had given rise to new tissue formation (fibro-connective 
tissue), in which case there would be no possibility of 
recovery, or even improvement. 

Treatment was begun upon the assumption that the original 
deviation was due to simple replacement, that is, that the 
sepsis together with the acid excess incident to all cases of 
illness had caused depletion of the lime content of the nuclear 
proteid, magnesium taking its place. By administering calcium 
carbonate (vitalized chalk), in substantial doses, the remedy 
which is known to stimulate the functional activity of the 
nervous system, we could determine the susceptibility of the 
involved area. Fortunately, the experiment proved remark- 
ably successful, the child making strenuous efforts to speak, 
but unable to use words, and seemingly excited because she 
could not be understood. 

The deductions from this demonstration pointed to chemic 
transformation, that is, the colloid of the nerve structures 
had been charged with magnesium oxide. To make the matter 
still more distinct, it should be stated that magnesium oxide in 
the circulatory fluids had combined with the colloid or starch- 
like portion of the nerve structures to inhibit or interfere with 
function. In accordance with the teachings previously laid 
down in this work, therefore, treatment should be conducted for 
the purpose of promoting magnesium dissociation through dis- 
integration, that is, dissolving as far as possible the organic 
constituents of the deposit. Therefore, the child was given 
calcium iodide in combination with calcium carbonate, the 
latter ingredient being added for the purpose of carrying out 
the necessary chemic processes incident to and characteristic of 
mass action. 

As a result of this treatment at the expiration of four months, 
I have the following report : 



380 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

"We think S is showing marked improvement no 1 

in a number of ways, and especially in her talking. She seen 
to be talking with more intelligence; that is, she will say thin^ 
of her own accord and say them in the right place. For instanc< 
when people leave, she frequently says, 'bye-bye/ withoi 
being urged, and when we take her to bed at night, or afte 
dinner, she usually says, 'night-night'. She often says, 'ho 1 
do you do/ or 'hello/ without being told to, and so wit 
'please, drink/ and other things. 

"She occasionally starts a fight with her younger brothe: 
and if she wants something that he is after, she either beal 
him to it, or takes it away from him. She is full of the mi: 
chief and often teases us — when we tell her to do something 
as long as she thinks she dares, then she will do what we tol 
her to." 

A subsequent report received nearly a month later is quil 
as encouraging, as follows: 

"We think S improves steadily. She is alwaj 

doing something — is never still a minute. Generally, she : 
amusing herself, the most of the time she is also bothering u: 
A week or ten days ago she succeeded in opening a closet dooi 
A little while ago, too, she took her toy piano up stairs. Sh 
has a great notion of teasing us — that is, of doing everythin 
except what she is told to do. She sings better — I mean carrie 
tunes better than she did. I think she talks better, too, thoug 
she doesn't talk a great deal more. Yesterday morning she saic 
'hello papa,' of her own accord when I went to get her out c 
bed." 

"The last report received, when the child had been unde 
treatment about nine months, is as follows: 

"It is hard to tell you the various ways she has improvec 
She is in excellent health; her eyes are bright, always bus} 
sleeps well, is growing fast enough, and enjoys her food. Sh 
is quite shrewd, takes her part with B., plays ball and othe 
games with him, and does many little things he tells her tc 
Her greatest trouble seems to be in not knowing just how to g< 
about doing things. 

" She can take a book, turn the leaves, and name many of th 



PLATE III 




Infantile Paralysis. 
Baby F., aged five years and two months. 



PLATE IV 




Infantile Paealysis. 

Baby F., three and a half months later. 



CLINICAL REPORTS 381 

pictures, such as 'man/ 'boy/ 'baby/ 'kitty/ 'lady/ 'water/ 
'ball/ 'bow-wow/ and many others. She will run to me and 
say, 'pease wock me/ 'pease down/ 'pease take me/ etc. She 
sings splendidly, carrying the tunes of 'Juniata/ 'In Zanzibar/ 
'Little Drops of Water/ and some others. She is much easier 
to manage and minds fairly well. She shows signs of fear, 
especially of dogs." 

The following case (Baby F., Plates III and IV), which 
came under observation nearly a year ago, and was treated 
by correspondence, will, perhaps, afford more conclusive 
evidence of the correctness of the working hypothesis than 
any of the cases so far presented. The parents live quite a 
distance from Philadelphia, and could not afford the expense 
incident to the trip. The mother writes, as follows: 

"My little girl is now five years and two months old. Three 
years ago last December she was taken very suddenly with 
high fever, which continued for several days. When the fever 
left her she had no use of her legs. After some time she regained 
the use of her right leg, but the other has never gotten entirely 
over the paralysis. It is a great deal smaller and seems to be 
weak. Her walking is very poor; have never used braces, 
but have shoes for weak ankles. 

"We have a splendid physician, and he has tried a great 
many things on her, electricity and also massage, but nothing 
seems to improve her very much .... I have not sent to 
our physician for your prescription, for the simple reason that 
I was afraid he would advise against its use. 

" Our little girl's general health is not as good as it was before 
the paralysis." 

In this instance the mother was advised of the uncertainties 
attending medical treatment, but a supply of tablets was sent 
complimentary, with the understanding that if they produced 
any perceptible benefit she might regard the outlook as favorable. 
As a result of this experimental treatment, a few weeks later, 
the following report was received: 

"We think she is stronger than when she began to take 
the medicine. Mentally, she is very bright, but is somewhat 



382 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

nervous — but she was nervous before she had the paralysis. 
Her memory is good — she can retain anything." 

At this time a supply of medicine sufficient for several 
weeks was sent, calcium iodide and calcium carbonate, and also 
the directions in regard to the necessary shoes to support the 
ankles, the photograph received showing that there was a 
tendency to flat-foot, and that the left ankle was so weak that 
it could not support the body without assistance. About a 
month later a letter was received, stating that the child had had 
an acute attack of stomach trouble which was prevalent in the 
locality, and that the treatment had been temporarily discon- 
tinued. Along with this was a report that the child seemed to 
be improving until this attack came on, although the nervous 
condition had not improved. 

Nearly a month elapsed before another report was received, 
when the mother stated that the patient had been wearing 
the shoes for a week, and that they seemed to aid her a great 
deal in walking. In addition, she said : 

" Her left leg has begun to grow some, and the leg is stronger 
than it was before she began treatment. She lifts her left foot 
from the floor when walking, and she has gained five pounds in 
weight. 

"We continue to massage the limbs, and have had her hair 
shingled as directed. The little girl's memory seems better, 
and she has a great deal more energy than formerly." 

Two weeks later the mother reported that the patient still 
continued to improve, and that she could walk half a mile 
without resting. 

Under date of May 20, the mother was requested to send 
a photo of the patient after the shoes had been worn for a 
period of two months, and at this time, I have a record of 
prescribing for the child on three different occasions, covering 
treatment for three months. The accompanying photos show the 
marked change attending treatment, the interval elapsing 
between the two being three and a half months. It should 
be added, by the way, that the photo shows that the ankles 
are not properly supported, and on its receipt, the mother was 
advised to secure more suitable shoes, 



CHOREA 383 

Comment on this case would be superfluous were it not 
for the imperative necessity of linking the prompt recovery 
with the correction of the chemic deviation, and that too, 
without the usual assistance supposed to be demanded in 
the shape of braces, manipulations, electricity and other 
superserviceable paraphernalia. It is in fact, a striking 
illustration of the claims advanced for simplicity and effi- 
ciency, and may possibly be accepted as a demonstration 
of the working hypothesis designated magnesium infiltration 
— the chemic problem in nutrition. 

CHOREA (ST. VITUS' DANCE). 

Chorea, as a disorder of childhood, is easily recognized, 
owing to the peculiar jactitations of the sufferer; its char- 
acteristic manifestations, confined to some local area, as 
the hands, the fingers, the toes, or the facial muscles in 
both children and adults, are generally regarded as a per- 
sonal idiosyncrasy, and not as an evidence of defective 
innervation due to chemic deviation. Indeed, St. Vitus' 
dance, from time immemorial, has been looked upon as 
a mere symptom of some occult condition or mysterious 
concatenation beyond the ken of human knowledge. 
Within recent years the affluence of the harvest in 
bacteriology has created even more than a suspicion 
that this malady may also be the result of an hitherto 
undiscovered toxin which finds entrance to the system in 
some unaccountable manner. Why it should affect three 
times as many girls as boys has not yet been definitely 
"figger'd" out; neither have we any reliable data which 
will enable us to account for the identical symptoms arising 
from fright, over-study, or exhaustion on the one hand, 
and the sequelse of scarlet fever, measles and whooping 
cough on the other. While we can understand how a toxin, 
generated or developing in the course of an infectious 
disease, may so involve the nervous mechanism as to pro- 
duce paralysis in one instance and chorea in another, it is 
incredible to assume that a similar toxin, like the sword 



384 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

of Damocles, is constantly impending over the rising gener- 
ation, ready to "strike in" on the slightest provocation — 
fright, over-study, over-play, or physical exhaustion. Such a 
doctrine is monstrous in its conception — by far too fatuous 
for modern science. 

In the case of arterio-sclerosis, hardening of the arteries 
with defective nutrition, as it (chorea) occurs in adult 
life, of course, we have an entity, something tangible, in 
the form of an obstruction to the uninterrupted trans- 
mission of nerve impulses; but there is no satisfactory 
explanation forthcoming which will account for the counter- 
part of the symptoms in childhood without perceptible 
anatomic lesion. In consequence, therefore, of this gradually 
increasing agglomeration, 1 of chameleon-like theories, it 
will be the object of the present article to develop a funda- 
mental basis for the rational treatment of the disease — exact 
from a scientific viewpoint and practical from a clinical 
standpoint, thus bringing order out of chaos, "a consum- 
mation devoutly to be wished for." 

Definition. — A functional (?) nervous disorder, usually 
occurring in childhood. Symptoms, irregular, muscular 
contractions (twitching) . 

Causative Factors. — Naturally, our first inquiry will relate 
to the causative factors. What evidence is there favoring 
the suggestion of an anatomic lesion? Is there a sub- 
stantial basis for assuming that the disorder is purely func- 
tional, simply a derangement of the physiologic equilibrium ? 
Again, the peevishness, irritability, and general tendency 
to misconduct (tantrums) of these children might lead to 
the inference that chorea was of psychologic origin; in fact, 
the consecutive appearance of hysteria in many of these 
cases lends suspicion to this theory. For example, we 
learn from text-books that hysterical attacks are "explosions 
of nerve force" ("brain-storms?"), and the irritability of 
choreic children is merely a reproduction of hysterical 
manifestations in milder form. 

1 An orderless mass; an indiscriminate assemblage; heap, cluster. 



CHOREA 385 

What is the basis for this assumption? In chorea it is 
taught that there has been "strain," that the nerves are 
"shattered/' and the patient a "nervous wreck." How 
then is it possible for the explosions to occur when the 
ammunition has been exhausted? 

Fortunately, a better explanation is at hand — one which 
is physical or chemic, but entirely separate and apart from 
both physiology and psychology. Thus, when a trolley 
car with over-head wires runs over a wet rail that has been 
"sanded," sparks from the wheel fly in every direction — the 
sand being a non-conductor, the car is partially insulated, 
owing to the obstruction in the transmission of the electric 
current. So it will be shown that the so-called strains, 
nervous wrecks, tantrums, brain-storms, explosions and 
hysteria, one and all alike, are due to demonstrable obstruc- 
tion in the transmission of the nerve impulses. The insu- 
lation may be partial or complete — anatomic lesion? — 
depending upon the susceptibility of the structures involved 
— physiologic deviation? — while the nervous derangment — 
psychologic defect? — will usually depend upon the degree 
or intensity of involvement, although this is not invariably 
a reliable criterion. In general, however, the proposition 
holds good, that all deviations from normal in nerve con- 
duction are the same in kind and differ only in degree, 
the evidence being more fully brought forward later on 
in this article. The solution of this question hinges entirely 
upon the chemic problem in nutrition. 

Taking up the study of this question in a logical and 
impartial manner, and considering its various phases and 
phenomena critically and dispassionately, it will be con- 
venient to follow the lines indicated in the chart or 
diagram (p. 393), "Causative Factors," which covers, prac- 
tically, the entire domain, as understood at the present day. 

Idiopathic. — Chorea is classed as idiopathic when it develops 
spontaneously, or unexpectedly, as a primary, or first 
appreciable or noticeable disorder. Still, a careful inves- 
tigation usually brings to light certain incidental facts 
which furnish at least a clue to the climax in derangement 
25 



386 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

of function. Thus, we may obtain a history of fright, 
exhaustion from study, play, or employment — referred to 
as extrinsic causes. Intrinsic causes include faulty nutri- 
tion, anemia and rheumatism, while automatic chorea should 
not be overlooked. The latter appears spontaneously and 
independently of the will in the form of apparently purposive 
actions or movements — usually regarded as a reflex from 
an external stimulus, but may likewise arise from intrinsic 
causes and continue as a habit. I have included under 
this head also certain reflex causes, both extrinsic and 
intrinsic, injury and phimosis, together with worms and 
carious teeth. 

Now, a word in regard to rheumatism as a cause, an 
untenable deduction, when it can be shown that the abnormal 
conditions predisposing to chorea — acid excess with dimin- 
ished alkalinity of the blood and coincident or consecutive 
magnesium deposits involving the nuclear proteid — are 
precisely the conditions responsible for rheumatism. And 
just as long as these abnormal conditions remain, rheuma- 
tism will continue. Restore the normal alkalinity of the 
blood, adopt suitable measures to promote magnesium 
dissociation — to overcome the temporary insulation — and 
rheumatism will disappear as if by magic. Furthermore, 
this treatment is curative — provided, of course, that the 
normal reactions of the body fluids be maintained. My 
impression is, however, that most persons suffering from 
subacute or chronic rheumatism value it too highly to part 
with it. They regard it as a pet rather than an infliction, 
and take both pleasure and pride in nursing it, and talking 
about it, and studying its interminably interesting pecu- 
liarities — and not infrequently, they dilate with enthusiasm 
upon its unflagging persistence, as shown by the number 
of eminent physicians who have been utterly baffled in 
their most earnest solicitations to effect a cure. 

It follows, therefore, that the treatment of chorea with 
intercurrent rheumatism will be varied or modified by the 
collateral medication demanded to counteract or liquefy 
the special toxin arising from secondary infection — prac 



CHOREA 387 

tically, a concomitant of all disorders of an infectious or 
contagious character, as well as rheumatism, which is 
neither. 

Septic Infection. — In all acute infectious diseases, we 
have to deal with sepsis arising from the special or patho- 
genic bacteria responsible for the disorder. In addition 
to this, we have what is termed secondary infection, usually 
streptococcus, staphylococcus, or diplococcus, a complication 
falling under the head of "mixed" infection, in which sym- 
biosis often plays an important part — by either augmenting 
the activity or virulence of the original infection, or by 
diminishing or even neutralizing them entirely, so that the 
employment of bacteriologic products has now become a 
recognized scientific procedure in the treatment of various 
diseases, prophylactic as well as curative. Examples of 
this are seen in the case of diphtheria, typhoid fever, and 
hydrophobia, the results in such cases being lacking in 
uniformity — notably brilliant in many instances, but utterly 
useless at other times. There should be a more substantial 
basis established for this line of treatment than that which 
now prevails, viz., that its value depends upon early appli- 
cation. In view of the well known clinical facts relating 
to all diseases — the persistent tendency to acidity with 
diminished alkalinity of the blood, which lessens its oxygen- 
carrying capacity, and impairs or destroys its inherent 
antiseptic properties — it appears logical to assume that 
attention to this detail would tend to insure greater certainty, 
while at the same time measurably increasing the efficiency 
of treatment. 

The foregoing suggestion is offered in connection with 
our study of septic infection as a causative factor in the 
production of chorea. For example, septic infection (septi- 
cemia), gives rise to a long train of symptoms, delirium 
being prominent. Failure to arrest sepsis leads to pyemia 
(pus-formation), with chills and irregular variations in 
temperature, but the delirium generally subsides. Now, 
it is a clinical fact that in all such cases — septicemia and 
pyemia — alkalinization of the blood produces an immediate 



388 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

and marked amelioration of the symptoms — the scientific 
fact has already been presented, but we cannot discuss this 
question further, because it opens up the subject of treat- 
ment. 

Admitting that sepsis is a causative factor in the pro- 
duction of chorea, we want to know whether it is direct 
or indirect, immediate or remote? Analysis shows that 
sepsis affects nerve function, interfering with or destroying 
the capacity for the transmission of nerve impulses; hence, 
it follows, that sepsis produces an effect which amounts to 
an obstruction. Sepsis is, therefore, the medium, not the 
thing itself, in producing chorea. Besides, chorea persists 
long after septic infection has disappeared. We may be 
able in many instances to trace the obstruction in nerve 
conduction directly to the septic infection; in other cases, 
the sepsis gives rise to inflammatory reaction, this being 
followed by obstruction and choreic symptoms, when sepsis 
becomes the indirect cause. Thus, septic infection may be 
the immediate or remote cause of chorea, although this 
deduction gives no definite or positive information con- 
cerning the exact nature of the obstruction — a question of 
vast importance and grave significance. 

Arterio-sclerosis. — Under the head of arterio-sclerosis as a 
causative factor in the production of chorea, we meet with 
such a multiplicity of symptoms that it seems the part of 
wisdom to discuss in detail the exact nature of the obstruction 
previously referred to. In other words, a conscientious 
effort will be made to elucidate the pathology of the malady, 
and I shall not be anticipating the evidences in favor of 
rational treatment by the announcement that chemic 
deviation alone is responsible for the appearance of chorea 
as well as for its persistence. Taking up the topics in order, 
as outlined in the chart, it will be convenient to discuss their 
peculiarities from this viewpoint, for the purpose of develop- 
ing the fundamental basis of the chemic problem in nutrition 
as a guide in the treatment of disease. 

Athetosis. — The belief is general that as a result of harden- 
ing of the arteries (arterio-sclerosis), we have a peculiar 



CHOREA 389 

choreic symptom, called athetosis. It is seen in children, 
also in adults after hemiplegia — paralysis affecting one side. 
In the first instance, it has been assumed all along that it 
was purely functional; following hemiplegia, we must admit 
that athetosis is due to some organic change in the nerve 
structures, some obstruction which impairs the transmission 
of motor impulses. Xow the question arises : Is the obstruc- 
tion identical in both instances? Considered from the 
physiologic or psychologic viewpoints, the derangement of 
function is identical; from the anatomic viewpoint, the 
condition in both cases is at least similar. Finally, we have 
to consider the chemic deviation — the puzzle end of the 
problem in which we are called upon to determine the 
quantitative or relative value of a known substance, 
magnesia. 

In this analysis, it is assumed that the reader is more or 
less familiar with the illustrative cases previously published, 
showing how magnesium infiltration may occur in at least 
three different forms — (1) simple replacement, (2) chemic 
transformation, or (3) united with calcium — so that it will 
not be necessary to traverse this ground again. If any 
doubt exists as to the presence of magnesium as a disturbing 
factor in nerve conduction, it is only necessary to test the 
reflexes, the knee-jerk for example. This simple test not 
only applies in the cases under discussion, but is universally 
applicable, the claim being amply confirmed by the crucial 
test of clinical experience. That is, treatment conducted 
for the special purpose of promoting magnesium dissociation 
is curative — and again, we have the reflexes in evidence. 

The Chemic Deviation. — Having now advanced the theory 
that magnesium infiltration is the essential element responsi- 
ble for chorea, let us study the chemic evidence in its support, 
together with an inquiry as to the probable chemic nature 
of the obstruction (deviation), which impairs the trans- 
mission of motor nerve impulses. It will be appropriate 
also in this connection to account for the variations in the 
degree of intensity — to explain, as far as possible, from 
clinical observation, why some cases make a spontaneous 



390 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

recovery without medical treatment, or, after treatment 
has proven a failure, while others, no more serious or less 
favorably situated, proceed to a fatal termination. 

Taking the two classes or types of athetosis already cited, 
studying them in the abstract in connection with arterio- 
sclerosis, I should say that replacement occurred in children, 
while in adults we have magnesium united with calcium — 
always bearing in mind the organic (colloid) nature of nerve 
structure. Thus, we can readily trace the development of 
athetosis in children — unsuitable dietary leading to indi- 
gestion with consecutive malnutrition, acid excess, perhaps 
nervous irritability, and finally, the characteristic move- 
ments. Should the child experience an attack of bowel 
trouble, with magnesium sulphate as a part of the treatment, 
recovery from the acute illness would show the choreic 
movements greatly intensified, leaving the parents and 
medical attendant under the impression that the illness 
had aggravated the malady — a grave mistake, and all too 
common. 

All such cases, except as a result of injury or septic infec- 
tion, readily respond to the rational methods well known 
to physiologic chemists, by which we endeaver to promote 
magnesium dissociation according to the law of mass action. 
Acid excess, having depleted the lime content of the nuclear 
proteid, the cellular structures, including the nerve cells, 
cease to perform their normal functions. As Professor 
Loew has pointed out, the magnesium nucleo-proteids 
inhibit absorption (imbibition), and for this chemico- 
physiologic change or transformation, the only known 
antidote is calcium in excess, according to the law of mass 
action. 

Treatment conducted in accordance with the principles 
here laid down yields results which are little short of mar- 
velous — of course, it is understood that proper attention is 
given to diet, and when necessary, to reestablishment of the 
normal alkalescence of the blood, without which relapses 
are liable to occur. As a guide to confirm diagnosis we have 
the exaggerated reflexes, and by the same token, we are 



CHOREA 391 

able to demonstrate the efficiency of treatment — in correct- 
ing the chemic deviation. 

It remains to add that arterio-sclerosis, the apparent 
cause, has received no consideration, and that too, for the 
good and sufficient reason that it is merely an incidental 
factor and disappears when the chemic deviation in the nerve 
structures is corrected. 

The severity or intensity of involvement is always in 
direct relation with the disordered nutrition, and as a rule, 
bottle-fed babies are more liable than those nourished at 
the breast. Again, when children, whose principal food 
consists of cereals containing a large percentage of mag- 
nesium in proportion to the calcium content, are more 
liable to intestinal indigestion — and chorea — than those 
who are fed upon what might be termed a "balanced ration." 
The practical value of this suggestion will be apparent from 
a glance at the table which appears on page 95, and besides, 
it shows how the milk gets into the cocoanut. 

From this tabulation we get a fairly comprehensive 
exposition of the inorganic constituents present in food 
materials generally employed or used throughout the country 
— for children as well as adults. Hence, the conclusions 
applicable to children are substantially the same for adults. 
A child fed upon corn meal, rice, graham bread, flaked wheat, 
honey and also a little meat is bound to suffer from indiges- 
tion, because of the excess of magnesia; with the addition 
of eggs, milk, butter or buttermilk and plain bread, with 
molasses or maple syrup, it would mean robust health and 
symmetrical development. I have included vegetables and 
fruits in the list, although in respect to calcium and mag- 
nesia, they are more evenly balanced — with a few notable 
exceptions. Their advantages are due more to the presence 
of organic acids, proteids, and carbohydrates than to the 
inorganic constituents. 

Paralysis Agitans. — Under this head it will be convenient 
to study magnesium infiltration as it occurs in the third 
division adopted — magnesium united with calcium. It will 
not only cover the choreic movements known as athetosis, 



392 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

but also the peculiar manifestations arising from involvement 
of Broca's convolution, known as the " writing-hand." 

A case of this character was made up for publication in 
a former paper under the head of "agraphia," but was 
finally omitted because the record was incomplete. It 
appears now on page 299. 

Huntingdon's Chorea. — From a theoretical standpoint, the 
causative factor in Huntingdon's chorea differs from the 
other two types already considered, for the reason that it 
affects adults or those in middle life, is gradual in its develop- 
ment, the irregular movements and disturbances of speech 
being progressive in character until we finally have dementia. 
Of course, there must be more or less hardening of the 
arteries, but preceding this abnormal condition, the proba- 
bilities are that we have involvement of the nerve supply, 
not only the motor and sensory nerves, but also the vaso- 
motor nerves, those which control the caliber of the blood 
vessels, thus presenting a somewhat obscure symptom- 
complex. And yet, if we assume that this form of chorea 
falls under the head of the second division of our classi- 
fication and is due to chemic transformation, the pathology 
is clear and distinct. Further, this morbid complexus being 
agreed upon, it reflects the line of treatment to be adopted. 

Now, a word in regard to chemic transformation. The 
magnesium salts which are distributed through the medium 
of the circulation, although always in combination, must 
necessarily undergo chemic changes, as otherwise they would 
pass out from the body without change. We assume,there- 
fore, that oxidation takes place, either through the presence 
of ozonized oxygen, or through the development of oxidase, 
a normal product of all cellular activity. Thus, we have 
magnesium oxide, a chemic product which combines with 
organic colloids in alkaline solution; that is, magnesium 
oxide added to an alkaline solution containing organic 
colloids, will give us their precipitation — and this is the only 
known substance which produces this effect. 

Therefore, we assume that at least a portion of the mag- 
nesium salts circulating in the body are converted into 



CHOREA 



393 



magnesium oxide, that this magnesium oxide combines 
chemically with the organic colloids composing the nerve 
structures, and that it has the same effect as simple replace- 
ment or magnesium united with calcium, and impedes, 
hinders, or destroys the capacity of the nerve cells to 
functionate. In other words, it arrests tissue change and 
gives us the symptoms of arterio-sclerosis as a result of this 
deterioration. 

The treatment of these cases is, therefore, reflected by the 
pathology — it should aim to promote magnesium dissocia- 
tion, either according to the law of mass action, or by means 
of chemic disintegration. Success in the treatment will 
be in direct relation to the physical condition of the patient 
as well as the length of time during which the disease has 
persisted, but as a rule, it will be found that reflexes are 
exaggerated or absent, and that the normal alkalinity of 
the blood is diminished — in other words, acid excess is 
present. 

Chorea — Causative Factors (Schema). 

{Extrinsic — Fright, injury, phimosis, study, 
play, exhaustion, employment; 
Intrinsic — Faulty nutrition, anemia, carious 
teeth, worms, rheumatism, automatic, 
f Scarlet and typhoid fever, diphtheria, measles ; 
II. Septic Infection: \ Cholera infantum, whooping cough, ptomain 
poisoning. 
Athetosis — Constant movement of fingers and 
toes (children), also seen in adults after 
hemiplegia; 
Paralysis agitans — Shaking palsy, beginning 
usually in one hand, termed "writing-hand. " 
Huntingdon's chorea, of adult or middle life — 
Irregular movements, disturbances of speech, 
and gradual dementia ; 
Hysterical chorea — Oscillatory movements 
and chorea insaniens (maniacal chorea), seen 
in adult women and usually ends fatally; 
Writer's cramp, four forms, spastic, neuralgic, 
tremulous and paralytic — also occupational. 
Sepsis — Auto-toxemia from intestinal tract, or 
due to disordered innervation, involving the 
liver, kidneys, or cerebral centers; 
Magnesium infiltration — Due to lime depletion 
with acid excess, wasting of bone structures 
and perhaps uremic convulsions. 



I. Idiopathic: 



III. Arterio-sclerosis: 



IV. Pregnancy: 



394 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

Hysterical Chorea. — In view of the arguments advanced, 
it seems doubtful if we can identify hysterical chorea as 
an hereditary disorder — it would be in keeping with the 
obsolete teachings in respect to consumption and tuber- 
culosis, when these terms were regarded as interchangeable 
and little doubt existed as to the hereditary nature of the 
disease. Besides, we have this form or type of chorea in 
the absence of hereditary influence. 

As to maniacal chorea, it would be unprofitable to enter 
upon an academic discussion. We have in our midst quite 
a number of public institutions where such cases are under 
observation, with physicians in attendance who would gladly 
(perhaps) extend the advantages of this treatment to such 
unfortunates. Surely, no serious harm would befall them, 
and very little risk attend the administration of a few 
grains, more or less, of calcium carbonate (vitalized chalk), 
or calcium sulphate (gypsum), and certainly not, if they were 
imported and marked, "Made in Germany/' 

Writer's Cramp. — This is strictly an occupational disorder, 
included among, perhaps, twenty others of like character, 
and is as clearly due to magnesium infiltration as neuritis, 
neuralgia, and shaking palsy — the proof being found in the 
clinical results attending treatment. 

Pregnancy. — There is ample room for an elaborate dis- 
cussion on pregnancy as the causative factor in the pro- 
duction of chorea, either from the viewpoint of sepsis, 
or as a result of disordered innervation arising from lime 
depletion, but it is believed sufficient evidence has been 
advanced to warrant a preliminary investigation — the which 
reminds me to add a biblical quotation, "Except ye believe 
Moses and the prophets, ye will not believe me." 

Rational vs. Scientific (?) Treatment. — Oliver Wendell 
Holmes has been roundly abused for his sweeping denunciation 
of all medicines, consigning them individually and collec- 
tively to the sea — for the benefit of mankind, although 
worse for the fishes — but he was excusable, since his ukase 
was promulgated long before the discovery of magnesium 
infiltration and its important bearing upon the chemic 



CHOREA 



395 



problem in nutrition. Thus, hope beckons to the future, 
while memory links us to the past. 

Reference to the accompanying chart or plot shows the 
vivid contrast between rational treatment, based upon 
the unerring laws of chemistry, and the conglomeration of 
heterogenous material offered by so-called scientific medi- 
cine — resting upon the rather shifty support of theory and 
tradition. Chemic treatment is simple, definite, and 
demonstrable — concise, exact, compact; theoretic treat- 
ment, on the contrary, is changeable, complicated and 
unreliable — diffuse, indefinite, adversative. It has lost 
momentum, coming to a full stop, like an engine on a dead 
centre, and nothing short of an Archimedean screw (made 
in Germany?) will arouse the profession from its lethargy. 



Chorea — Rational vs. Scientific (?) Treatment 



Rational: 

(Chemic) 

Calcium Salts 



Scientific (?): 
(Theoretic) 
External 

and 
Internal 



Carbonate; 

Iodo-calcium, or iodide; 
Sulphate. 

Asafetida, arsenic, acetyl-salicylic acid, anti- 
mony, anilin, antipyrin, apomorphine, 
amyl nitrite ; 

Baths (mineral water), belladonna, blisters 
(to spine), bromural, bromides — ammo- 
nium, iron, potassium, sodium, strontium 
and zinc; 

Cannabis indica, cimicifuga, cod-liver oil, 
cold (applications), copper sulphate, chlor- 
oform, chloral hydrate, codeine, conium, 
chloretone, curare; 

Exalgine, electricity, emetics, ether spray, 
ergot; 

Hyoscyamus; 

Iron; 

Lobelia; 

Morphine, musk; 

Picrotoxin, physostigma; 

Quinine ; 

Sodium salicylate, strychnine, silver; 

Trional; 

Valerian, veronal, veratrum viride; 

Water (affusions); 

Zinc sulphate. 



396 DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

The ancient geographers, in making maps, included the 
territory so far as known to them, and to indicate the 
dangers incident to further exploration, they wrote just 
outside the margin, "Hie sunt leones," as a warning to their 
competitors as well as their successors. Following their 
example, I should also write, "Here are lions/' along 
the margin of this chart — to indicate the limitations of 
strictly clinical observation, believing that scientific inquiry 
will not only greatly extend the horizon, but also that it 
will enable us to deal with the various questions coming 
up with greater accuracy, in short, with mathematical 
precision. 

Rational Treatment. — In making up our therapeutic diag- 
nosis we must, of course, exclude reflex irritation, both 
internal and external. Faulty nutrition is indicated by 
anemia, mucous catarrh, together with symptoms of rheuma- 
tism, but this is not all; we must study the condition of the 
skeleton by attention to the conformation of the cranium; 
we must also inquire as to the condition of the spinal verte- 
brae — whether there are symptoms of spondylitis, kyphosis, 
lordosis, or curvature. Struma is usually indicated by promi- 
nent abdomen together with hollow back, and along with 
this we have, perhaps, bow-legs, or flat-foot. The chemic 
deviation is not always discoverable. By testing the saliva 
with blue litmus paper it is an easy matter to confirm the 
suspicion of acid excess, or by testing the reflexes, the knee- 
jerk, for example. An unusual mental activity or deficiency 
should be regarded as suspicious factors indicative of mag- 
nesium infiltration. 

This data is indicated in the accompanying chart headed, 
"Rational Treatment/' and will serve a useful purpose in 
making a preliminary examination in the case of chorea. 

Under the head of Septic Infection as a causative factor 
in the production of chorea, we have but a limited number 
of indications for treatment, as it is all-important that 
suitable measures be taken for the purpose of improving 
metabolism, that is, primary and secondary assimilation. 
Next in order comes acid excess as a factor which indicates a 



CHOREA 397 

demand for suitable measures to restore the normal alkalinity 
of the blood, to the end that it shall be efficient from an 
antiseptic viewpoint. 

Lastly, we shall have to consider the measures or remedial 
agents which will promote magnesium dissociation. In 
recent cases, where the patient is fairly well nourished, the 
probabilities are that we have to deal with replacement, 
arising from a diminished alkalinity of the body fluids, 
a condition which is readily overcome by the employment 
of calcium salts, carbonate or sulphate, in order to secure 
chemic dissociation according to the law of mass action. 
When the disorder has continued for months or years, 
it is doubtful if this simple measure will be effective, inas- 
much as we have to contend with chemic transformation — in 
other words, the presence of magnesium oxide has given 
rise to a new chemic product which can only be modified 
or dissolved through the influence of some chemical which 
will cause disintegration by acting upon its organic con- 
stituents, and this remedial agent is found in iodo-calcium. 1 

In view of the fact that this chemic substance may itself 
produce irritability of the nervous system, it must be given 
with caution, and it is frequently advisable to give it in 
alternation or conjointly with one or the other calcium salts 
already mentioned. Sometimes good results follow the use 
of iodo-calcium for one week, followed the next week by 
calcium carbonate or calcium sulphate, the latter being 
especially indicated when we have to deal with wasting of 
bone, such as rarefying or condensing ostitis, the former 
when the soft tissues show relaxation. 

1 The name iodo-calcium is employed to distinguish it from the 
chemic product, calcium iodide. It is a simple mechanical mixture of 
iodine with calcium oxide, one part to ten (IX trituration). For 
medicinal purposes, I think favorably of using the normal trituration, 
that is, equal parts of iodo-calcium and sugar of milk, so that the 
finished product might be termed a decinormal trituration. In conse- 
quence of the presence of iodine, this remedy should be given only 
when the stomach is empty, to avoid the formation of iodide of starch, 
and I think it is best given in the form of tablet triturates, each to 
contain say one-half grain of the decinormal trituration. Thus, we 
avoid any irritation from concentration, and we also secure immediate 
solution and prompt absorption. 



398 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



Rational Treatment of Chorea — Epitome. 



I. Idiopathic: 



II. Septic Infection: 



III. Arteriosclerosis: 



IV. Pregnancy: 



Remove reflex irritation — Worms, carious 

teeth, phimosis, injury; 
Improve faulty nutrition — Anemia, mucous 

catarrh, rheumatism; 
Correct chemic deviation — Neutralize acidity, 

promote magnesium dissociation. 

Improve assimilation, primary and secondary; 

Neutralize acid excess — Restore normal alka- 
linity of body fluids; 

Promote magnesium ( pimple replacement; 
dissociation: ghemic transformation; 

[ Umted with calcium. 

Restore the digestive capacity; 

Neutralize acid excess; 

Promote magnesium dissociation. 

Restore the digestive capacity — Improve 
metabolism; 

Neutralize acid excess — Restore normal alka- 
linity of body fluids; 

PromotP mae-TiPsin™ ( Sim P le replacement; 
S^wSori^ \ Chemic transformation; 

dissociation: 1 United with calcium. 



In the case of adults suffering from choreic manifestations, 
along with the symptoms of arterio-sclerosis, alternation 
is the most desirable plan, and of course, it is important 
that proper attention should be given to the digestive 
apparatus. Generally, however, in this class of cases, that 
is, in the case of adults, we have to deal with chemic trans- 
formation together with calcium as a complication, and the 
diminished alkalinity of the blood requires first attention. 
In fact, it is the only successful method when it is desired 
to secure permanent results. In these cases, acid excess 
becomes a "habit," and while the administration of iodo- 
calcium will produce immediate and marked improvement 
in the symptoms, relapses almost invariably occur. 

In the case of chorea associated with pregnancy, from 
sepsis or pathologic changes, the indications for rational 
treatment are developed in the chart in connection with the 
foregoing resume, so that it is a mere matter of detail to 



CHOREA 399 

carry out the plan of treatment. Special emphasis should 
be laid upon the different phases mentioned, the salivary 
reaction and the reflexes, and it will be found, as a rule, 
with comparatively few exceptions, that as these reactions 
approach normal, symptoms will subside. In other words, 
improvement is in direct relation with the reestablishment 
of normal chemic reactions. 



INDEX 



A 



Abdominal distension, acute, clini- 
cal report, 187 

Abscess, technical description, 232, 
clinical report, 233 

Absorption, final stage in, 71; 
absorption, and excretion, 69; of 
salts by roots (illustrated), 112 

Acclimatization, 23 

"Acetone-bodies," composition, 
201 

Acetonuria, significance of 201 

Acid excess, effects of, 11; hinders 
intestinal digestion, 60 ; in debil- 
ity, 72; and innervation, 78; 
constitutional effects produced 
by, 109; hinders bone-formation, 
164; to neutralize, 182; a com- 
mon condition, 210; an off- 
tendency in early life, 218; in 
tonsillitis, 277; a factor in infan- 
tile paralysis, 364 

Acidity, excessive, origin, 203; of 
corn meal, normal, 119 

Acidosis, definition, 201 

Acids and alkalies, effects of, 147 

Acne, due to acid excess, 268 

Addison's disease, oigmentation in, 
39 

Adrenal extract, as a cause of 
arterio-sclerosis 133 

Adrenal hypertrophy, causative 
factors, 134 

Aeration and ventilation, 40 

Age a factor in securing immunity, 
18 

Agglutination phenomenon, note, 
54 

Agraphia, clinical reports, 298 
26 



Alcohol and heredity, 28 

Alcoholism, chronic and the cap- 
illaries, 146 

Alkalescence, to promote or re- 
store, 10; as a "stimulus," 11; 
produced by stimulation, 42; 
diminished in chronic diseases, 
42; the pivot or turning point, 
199; a factor in nervous diseases, 
284. 

Alkaline-saline, formula, note, 182 

Alternation of diseases, 267 

Amyloid degeneration, 128 

Anabolism, or building up, 48 

Animal organisms, mineral salts in, 
163 

Antitoxin treatment, a cause of 
failure, 13, 204 

Aphasia, various forms, 301; clini- 
cal reports, 191, 304 

Apia, formula, 189 

Apoplexy, a personal disposition 
in certain families?, 30 

Appendicitis — and the lacteals, 
155; rational plan of treatment, 
157 

Art, and science, 2 

Arterial changes, causing varia- 
tions in the blood pressure, 125, 
from alcohol, 130; amenable to 
chemic treatment, 133 

Arterial obstruction, 135 

Arterio-sclerosis, 130; associated 
changes, 139; immunity from, 
19; kidneys usually first to 
suffer, 131; pathologic condi- 
tions, 177; treatment of, 138 

Arthritis deformans, shows the 
important functions performed 
by calcium, 212 



402 



INDEX 



Ash constituents of food materials, 
95 

Assimilation, primary and second- 
ary, 107; secondary, 77, 109 

Atavism, heredity, etc., 25 

Atheroma, 128 

Athetosis, a symptom, 388; defined, 
393 

Atoms, complex constitution of, 
68 



B 



Backwaed children, plans for 
coaching, 218; treatment, clin- 
ical reports, 224 

Bacteria, acid production a func- 
tion of, 204; flourish in magnesia 
solutions, note, 164; functions 
and products, 257; fungus 
growth, 17; intestinal, 256 

Bacterial infection, specific, 18; in 
infantile paralysis, 365 

Ballistics, a study in, 67 

Beef-tea as a stimulant, osmotic 
action, 85 

Bernard, Claude, on physiologic 
studies, 160 

Bier's method, artificial hyperemia, 
11 

Bile, daily excretion, 73 

' ' Biliousn ess , ' ' clinical report, 
245 

Binet test, for feeble-minded chil- 
dren, 220 

Bladder, catarrh of, 250 

" Bleeders," 30 

Blood, character and composition, 
37; important functions of, 39; 
and protoplasm ; 35 

Blood clotting, 136 

Blood plasma, changes in, 39 

Blood pressure, 142; deviations, 
treatment, 185 

Boils and carbuncle, treatment, 
235 

Bone disease, consecutive ailments, 
226; points to physical deca- 
dence, 215; psychic element in, 
218; significance of, 218 



Bredig's impressions, inorganic fer- 
ments, 88 

"Bucking" motorcycle illustrates 
heart failure, 110 



Cachexia strumipriva, following 
removal of thyroid gland, 134 

Calcareous degeneration, 126 

Calcined magnesia (magnesium 
oxide), as a "sedative," 44 

Calcium carbonate (and sulphate), 
dosage, 184 

Calcium iodide, administration, 
184 

Calcium and magnesium, as they 
affect plant growth (illustrated), 
114 

Calcium nucleo-proteids, trans- 
formed by soluble magnesium 
salts, 9 

Cancer and heredity, 27 

Capillaries, 146 

Carbon dioxide (C0 2 ), 40; a waste 
product, 37; excreted by pul- 
monary apparatus, 74 

Carbon monoxide (CO), 40 

Carbuncle and boils, treatment, 
235 

Catarrh, a suppurative process, 
238; acute (a common cold), due 
to bacteria and their toxins, 239; 
of the bladder, clinical report, 
249; bronchial, traceable to 
acid excess, 240; chronic nasal, 
clinical report, 239; gastro- 
intestinal, clinical report, 244; 
intestinal, symptoms and cau- 
sative factors, 245; intestinal, 
and unsuitable dietary, clinical 
report, 248; mucous, and skin 
diseases, as related to nerve 
mechanism, 106; stomach, a 
secondary disorder, 242; stom- 
ach, dangers from the use of 
hydrogen peroxide, 244 

Catarrhal appendicitis, clinical re- 
port, 247 

Catarrhal inflammation, 249 

Cells, function of, and reactions, 5 



INDEX 



403 



Cell-poisons, (cytotoxines), 6; cell 
mentation, 103; modified by 
disease, 12 

Chemic deviation in heart failure, 
three lines of, 168 

Chemic problem, the, hinges upon 
status of reactions and reflexes, 
106 

Chemic reactions, body fluids and 
tissues, 57 

Chemic stimulation and nerve 
impulses, 7 

Chemic stimuli, abnormal, 59; in 
magnesia heart, 178 

Chemic stimulus, the crux, 57 

Chemistry of digestion, deviations 
incident to, 193 

Chemistry of insanity, 166 

Child welfare, and mental defi- 
ciency, 218 

Chorea (St. Vitus' dance), causa- 
tive factors, 104, 384, 393; a 
disorder of childhood (?), 383; 
arterio- sclerosis a causative 
factor, 388; chemic deviation in, 
389; hysterical, 394, idiopathic, 
385, maniacal, 394; rational vs. 
scientific (?) treatment, 394; 
rational treatment, 396, epitome, 
398 

Chronic alcoholism, treatment 
should include measures to pro- 
mote magnesium dissociation, 
131 

Coagulation, due to the fibrin 
ferment, 38 

Cold, heat and, 52 

Colloid degeneration, 135 

Colloidal solutions, 82; non-toxic, 
83; poisons affecting, 89 

Colloids, Edison's work on, 42; 
two kinds, note, 146 

Congestion and the capillaries, 147 

Constipation, causative factors, 
188 

Constitutional maladies ; the com- 
plication in, 198; catarrh, 238; 
diabetes mellitus, 200; diseases 
of bone, 215; gout and lithemia, 
211; infectious diseases, 255; 
jaundice, 259; principles of med- 
ical treatment, 199 ; rheumatism, 



207; skin diseases, 266; suppura- 
tion, 228; tonsillitis, treatment, 
275 
Consumption and tuberculosis, 24 
"Consumption" of bone, 218 
Copper arsenite, as a "stimulus," 

10 
Copper, in electrolytic solution, 82 
Copper solutions, to purify water 

supply of cities and towns, 83 
Corn, chemic constituents of 

(Liebig), 120 
Corn meal, normal acidity of, 119 
"Cough," after eating, 240 
Crystallization, tendency increases 

with age, 111 
"Cures," permanency of, 7 
Cytotoxines, cell-poisons, 6 



Debility, acid excess in, 72 

Definition, magnesium infiltration, 
4 

Degeneracy, traceable to magne- 
sium infiltration, 26 

Degeneration, amyloid, 128; cal- 
careous, 126; colloid, 135; fatty, 
127, hyaline, 127; mucoid. ]35 

Development (mental), and physi- 
cal growth, anomalies of, 219 

Diabetes mellitus, anomalies of 
function in (Von Noorden), 206; 
causative conditions, 205; its 
presence and persistence, 200; 
of alimentary origin, 205; spe- 
cific infection a cause, 206; 
treatment, 206 

Diabetic coma, due to abstraction 
of alkalies, 205 

Diagnosis, definite and positive, 2; 
magnesia heart, 170; studying 
the effects of chemic deviation, 
117 

Diathesis, definition, 29 

Diathetic disease and assimilation, 
30 

Diet, and immunity, 21; how it 
affects health, 21; as related to 
magnesium infiltration, 23 

Dietary in magnesia heart, 190 



404 



INDEX 



Dietary studies, Teacher's family. 
Indiana, 98; Mill workman's 
family, Pittsburg, 99; Negro 
farmer's family, Alabama, 100 

Dietetics, a question in, 93; and 
diathesis, 30 

Digestion, microbic, 71 

Digestive apparatus, 69 

Digestive capacity, to restore the, 
180 

Digestive ferments and "acti- 
vators," 108 

Dirigation, temporary effect of. 7; 
as a "stimulus/"' 11 

Discovery and invention, 3 

Ductless glands, in chronic alcohol- 
ism, 132; effect of alcohol upon, 
131 



Eczema, capitis, clinical report, 
271; of hands and feet, 268; 
recurrent, 266, 268 

Edema and nephritis, 148 

Electric conductivity, 50; blood 
serum, 51 ; as modified by radium 
emanations, 67 

Electricity, a normal nerve stimu- 
lus, 7; action of high frequency 
current, 52; transient effects of, 
43 

Electrolytes, from plant growth, 
114 

Electro-plating, from magnesium 
oxide ■ 4:4: 

Embolus, defined, 135 

Endarteritis, 129; clinical report, 
172 

Environment, for backward chil- 
dren, 219; and immunity, 23 

Epsom salts for constipation, 190 

Erethism in children, 36 

Excretion, by various routes, 73; 
by the pulmonary apparatus, 74 



Fasting for chronic indigestion, 
108 

Fattv degeneration, 127 
Fatty infiltration, 128 



Feeble-minded children, Binet test 

for, 220 
Ferments which perfect digestion, 

108 
Fibrin ferment, note, 136 
Fibrinogen, defined, 136 
Fibroid tumors, pathology, 251 
Fischer, edema and nephritis, 148 
Food problem, the, with dietary 
studies, 92; a new factor in 
disease, 92; dietary studies, 98; 
mechanism of the nervous sys- 
tem, 102; chemic problem, the, 
106; injurious effects of mag- 
nesium on plant life, 112; 
pellagra, 118 



Gall-ipecac Comp., formula, note, 

180 
Gall-stone, 168 
Galton's law (heredity), 27 
Gastralgia. clinical report, 350 
Glandular structures, adaptability 

of, 59 
Goiter, clinical reports, 354 
Gout and lithemia, characteristics, 

211 
Growth and development, anom- 
alies of, 219; dependent upon a 
minimum supply of mineral 
salts, 164 



Harvey's dictum, 131 

Heart failure, the causative factor, 
160; a practical theory, 160; 
arising from muscular spasm, 
166; illustrated in "bucking" 
motorcj'cle, 110; and neuras- 
thenia, 167; conditions and 
symptoms, 160 

Heart-throb, maintaining the, 162 

Heat and cold, 52 

Hemoglobin and derivatives, 40 

Hemorrhoids, 188; clinical report, 
189 

Hepatic insufficiency, symptoms 
and treatment, 186 



INDEX 



405 



Hepatin, formula, note, 180 

Heredity, atavism, etc., 25 

Heredity, distinct from environ- 
ment, 23; predominating influ- 
ence of the mother, 29 

BQp-joint disease, clinical report, 
217 

Hunter's (John) "living principle," 
16 

Huntingdon's chorea, described, 
392 

Hyaline degeneration, 127 

Hydrotherapy, 53 

Hypodermoclysis. normal salt solu- 
tion for, 85 



Immunity — susceptibility and re- 
sistance, 15 

Indicanuria. a symptom, 202 

Infantile paralysis, 287, 359; tech- 
nical name, 364; characteristics, 
377; experimental researches, 
367; infectious nature, 360; 
mode of invasion, 368; differs 
from chorea, 104; at birth, 
clinical report, 368; clinical 
reports, 371; illustrations; 380; 
treatment, a working hypothesis, 
362; schema of treatment, 366; 
treatment after acute stage, 370 

Infarct, defined, 136 

Infection, nature of, 17 

Infectious diseases, chemic changes 
in, 255 

Infective and simple inflammation, 
17 

Infiltration, fatty, 128 

Influenza, a factor in diathetic 
disease, 31 

Innervation, acid excess and, 78; 
defective, to correct or over- 
come, 137 

Inorganic ferments, 82; adapta- 
bility of mineral ferments, 86; 
analogous to organic ferments, 
87; Bredig's impressions, 88; 
clinical and scientific facts, 89; 
colloidal solutions, 82; colloids 
non-toxic, 83; a scientific adap- 



tation of Hahnemann's claims, 
90; influence of tradition, 91; 
ohgo-dynamics, 84; surface 
energy, 85 
Insanity, chemic deviations in, 
352; chemistry of, 166; and 
celibacy, note, 167; clinical 
report, 354; relation of, to mag- 
nesium infiltration, 28; illus- 
trates a type or variety, 104 
Insomnia, a subjective symptom, 
173; due to stomach or intestinal 
indigestion, 45 
Insulation, relative degree of, 

note, 8 
Intestinal adhesions, 253 
Intestinal digestion, acid excess 

hinders, 60 
Introspection and dirigation, 11 
Invasion and recovery, 12 
Invention, discovery and, 3 
Iodine, poisonous action of, 139 
Iodo-calcium, early impressions of, 
183; decinormal trituration, 
note, 397 



Jaundice, clinical reports. 259 
Jones, action of poisons on organic 
and inorganic ferments, 88, 89 



Katabolism, or breaking down, 48 
Kidney disease, an effect, rather 

than a cause of arterio-sclerosis, 

131 
"Knee-jerk," illustrates mechanic 

stimulus, 107 



Lacteal, or chyle vessels, func- 
tions of, 153 

Laziness, why is, 307 

Leucocytes, composition, structure 
and function, 38 

Leucomains, ptomains and, 256 

Leucorrhea, immunity against, 252 



406 



INDEX 



Lime, a catalyzer. 165; an antidote 
for magnesia-charged soils, 105; 
deficiency of, and its effects 
(Loew), 121 ; not indispensable to 
bacteria, fungi and lower algae 
(Loew), 123 

Lime and magnesia in the ash of 
the grain of Grammes, 121; pro- 
portions of, in the nuclear mass, 
162 

Lithemia, special features, 212 

Locke (John), and underlying prin- 
ciples, 230; on syllogisms, 231 

Locomotor ataxia, 291; and svph- 
ilis, 140 

Loew — on magnesium nucleo-pro- 
teids, 9 

Lumbago, due to acidity, 210 

Lymph stasis, treatment, 186 

Lymphatic glands, description, 152, 
154 

Lymphatics, importance of the, 125 

Lymphocytes, origin, 155 

Lymph-vascular subsidiary to the 
blood-vascular system, 125 

Lymph vessels, distribution, 153 



M 



Magnesia deposits, nature of, 110; 
a resistance coil, 165. 

Magnesia heart, the, 169; arterio- 
sclerosis, 177; class of cases, 178; 
cerebral symptoms, 175; clinical 
reports (typical illustrations), 
190; constipation, 188; diagnosis, 
170; differential diagnosis, 169; 
Epsom salts (magnesium sul- 
phate), 190; hepatic insuffici- 
ency, 186; insomnia, 173; lymph 
stasis, 186; muscular twitching, 
171; numbness, 172; obesity, the 
tendency to, 176; ossification — 
reports, 194; the psychic factor, 
170; statistics, 196; symptoms: 
associated, 173; objective, 170; 
subjective, 170; treatment, 178; 
tabulation, 179; treatment, 
symptomatic and collateral (tab- 
ulation), 180 



Magnesia in excess, during growth 
and development, 161; respon- 
sible for the indigestions, 94 

Magnesia in. the nuclear mass, 
proportions of lime and, 162. 

Magnesium dissociation, to pro- 
mote, clinical reports, 141, 183 

Magnesium infiltration, a new 
disease (?) 1; definition, 4; an 
insidious ailment, 13; a malady 
easily recognized, 34; types of, 
111, 165; questions for discus- 
sion, 7; Loew's deductions, 9; 
plotting the early deviations 
from normal, 31; physiology and 
pathology, 35; an hypothesis to 
harmonize pathology, 33; sub- 
stantially an insulation process, 
110; organic and functional 
disorders, 36; the complication 
in constitutional maladies, 198; 
question of prevention, 14 

Magnesium nucleo-proteids, lack 
capacity for imbibition, 9 

Magnesium oxide, electro-plating 
from, 44 

Magnesium sulphate, analgesic 
effect of, 214 

"Marble-heart," 195 

Mass action, history, 46 

Mechanic stimulus, 55 

Mechano-therapy, limitations of, 
56 

Medicalism, an apotheosis of, 41 

Medication, regulating, with mag- 
nesium in excess, 1 15 

Mendel's law (heredity), 29 

Mental deficiency, and child wel- 
fare, 218; and precocity (tabu- 
lation), 221 

Mental development and " proper 
feeding," 225 

Mental evolution, retarded in 
England, 224 

Mercurial injections in tubercu- 
losis, 139 

Mercurialism, clinical report, 327 

Mercury and iodine, effects of, 138 

Merzbacher's investigations (her- 
edity), 28 

Metabolism, definition. 48; absorp- 
tion, final stage in, 71; absorption 



INDEX 



407 



and excretion, 69; acid excess 
and innervation, 78; acid excess 
in debility, 72; chemic change in, 
48; chemic stimulus, 57; diges- 
tive apparatus, the, 69; electric 
conductivity, 50; excretion by- 
various routes, 73; heat and 
cold, 52; mechanic stimulus, 55; 
microbic digestion, 71; nerve 
stimuli, normal, 48; pancreatic 
secretion, the, 170; psychic 
stimulus, 61; radio-activity, 65; 
secondary assimilation, 77; 
thermo-therapy, 53; tropism, 64 

Metals in the form of non- toxic 
colloids, 90 

Microbic digestion, 257 

Milk-leg, cause of, 152 

Mineral acids, estimated amount 
required (tabulation), 204 

Mineral ferments, adaptability of, 
86; Bredig's impressions, 88; 
analogous to organic ferments, 
87; poisons affecting colloidal 
solutions, 89 

Mineral matter required in diet, 
223; required per man per day 
(Lang worthy), 116 

Mineral salts, in animal organisms 
(tabulation), 163; possess os- 
motic properties, 164 

"Mixed" transmission, in heredity 
and atavism, 28 

Mucin, an insoluble substance, 135 

Mucoid degeneration, 135 

Mucous catarrh, general remarks 
on, 248 

Muscular twitching, 171 



N 



NephritiSj edema and, 148 
Nerve conduction, impairment in, 
consecutive to magnesium infil- 
tration, 106 
Nerve stimuli, normal, 48 
Nerve structure, composition, 43 
Nervous dyspepsia, clinical reports, 

344 
Nervous prostration, clinical re- 
ports, 292, 344 



Nervous system, diseases of the, 
283; mechanism of the, 102; 
alkalescence a factor, 284; agra- 
phia, 298; aphasia, 301; causes 
and symptoms, 286; chorea, 383; 
gastralgia, 350; goiter ; 354; 
infantile paralysis, 287, 359; 
insanity, 352; laziness, why is, 
307; locomotor ataxia, 291; 
morbid reflexes, 291; motor and 
sensory nerves, 291; nervous 
dyspepsia, 344; nervous pros- 
tration, 292; neurasthenia, 328; 
neuritis, 312; old age, 305; 
paresis, incipient, 292; pares- 
thesia, 288; psychiatry, 283; 
physiologic basis, 287; Ray- 
naud's disease, 289; rest and 
exercise, 285; review, 356; quart- 
ation, 376; sclerosis, 297; senile 
changes, 297; spinal section. 289; 
vomiting of pregnancy. 356 

Neurasthenia, 328; cause, an 
effect, 343; shows depletion of 
calcium salts, 122; clinical re- 
ports, 328; chemic deviations 
in, 117; deviations responsible 
for, 337; tabulation, 340; and 
Nauheim baths, 167 

Neuritis, causative factors, 324; 
clinical reports, 312; indications 
for treatment, 317; multiple, 
clinical reports, 314 



Obesity, due to irregular trans- 
portation of starch, 123; in 
magnesia heart, 176 

Occupation, an exciting factor in 
developing susceptibility, 19 

Old age, illustrating calcareous 
degeneration, 305 

Oligo-dynamics, 84 

Organo-therapy, for suppuration, 
237 

Osmosis, description, 158 

Osmotic pressure and osmosis ; 157; 
a factor in diathetic disease, 31 

Ossification — of the heart, 194 



408 



INDEX 



Osteo-therapy, intrinsic merits of, 

55 
Oxidase, action upon magnesium 

salts, 43 



Pancreatic secretion, the, 70 

Paralysis agitans, 391 

Paralysis, illustrates working hy- 
pothesis, 51 

Parathyroids, effects of removal, 
231 

Paresis, incipient, 292; softening 
of the brain, 175 

Paresthesia, clinical report, 288 

Pathology, physiology and, 5 

Pellagra, a disorder of nutrition, 
118; underlying causative factor, 
119; individual susceptibility a 
factor, as in typhoid infection, 
120 

Pestalozzi's methods, 258 

Phlebitis, denned, 151 

Phosphoric acid, the demand for, 
164 

Physiologic equilibrium, restoring 
the, 12 

Physiology and pathology, 5 

Piles, see hemorrhoids. 

Plant growth, electrolytes from, 
114; how affected by calcium 
and magnesium, 114; injurious 
effects of magnesium on, 112 

Plastic inflammation, defined, 254; 
clinical reports, 255 

Poisons, action of, upon organic 
and inorganic ferments, 88, 89; 
carried by lymph-vascular sys- 
tem, 126 

Pott's disease of the spine, clinical 
report, 215 

Poultice, a protest, 55 

Precocity, a "bad sign" 225; 
mental deficiency and (tabula- 
tion), 221 

Pregnancy, a causative factor in 
chorea, 394 

Prostatorrhea, clinical report, 252 

"Protective agencies" against 
bacteria, 16 



Protoplasm, the blood and, 35; 
(cell), the unit in animal and 
plant life, 39 

Psoriasis, clinical report, 272 

Psychiatry, 283 

Psychic factor, the, in magnesia 
heart, 170 

Psychic stimulus, 61; Dubois' 
"educative efforts," 62; Pa\*ot's 
"meditative reflection," 61; 
Schofield's "mental factor in 
therapeutics," 61 

Psychologic factor as a "stimulus," 
11 

Psychologic hobbies, unpromising 
character of, 12 

Psycho-neuroses, dialectics for, 6 

Ptomain poisoning and heart weak- 
ness, 22 

Ptomains and leucomains, 256 

Purgatives : objectionable. 77 

Purging ; traditional doctrine of, 54 

"Purin" bodies, in gout and lith- 
emia, etc., 22 

Pus-formation, phenomena attend- 
ing, 232 

Pyogenic infection, gives rise to 
acid excess, 236 



Qtjartation, and " parting, 



R 



Radio-activity, 65 

Radium, atomic nature of, 67; 

physiologic action, 66 
Raynaud's disease, clinical report, 

289 
Reactions, function of cells and, 5 
Recovery, indications to promote, 

13; invasion and, 12 
Reflex, a — an involuntary action, 

107 
Reflexes, morbid, 291 
Resistance, normal, 16; suscep- 
tibility and (immunity), 15 
Respiratory function of the tissues, 

38; dependent upon alkalescence, 

41 



INDEX 



409 



Rest and exercise, in nervous 

diseases, 285 
Rheumatic element in heart pain, 

172 
Rheumatism, a constitutional 

malady, 207; chemic deviation 

in, 208; clinical report, 76; 

illustrative cases, 209. 
Ribot, on laziness, 308 



S 



Salt solution, normal, relative 
value, 204 

Sanitation as a factor iD securing 
immunity, 24 

Schizomycetes, 17 

Sciatica, clinical reports, 211 

Science, art and, 2; the foundation 
for law, 2 

Sclerosis, distribution, 297; pre- 
existing conditions, 298 

Secretin, a pro-digestive product, 
71 

Senile changes, indications, 297 

Sepsis in all disorders, 370 

Septic infection in appendicitis, 
155; in chorea, 387 

Shock, as a stimulus, 5 

Silver, colloidal solutions of, 83 

Skin, its various functions, 75 

Skin diseases, clinical reports, 266 

Spinal section, 289 

Spirocheta pallida, 138 

Spondylitis, gives symptoms of 
appendicitis, clinical report, 210 

Statistics, heart disease, 196 

Strophanthus (arrow-poison), a 
strictly scientific induction, 90 

Suboxidation, symptoms of, 205 

Summer catarrh, causative factor, 

• 242 

"Summer diseases" of children, 
causative factors and treatment, 
10 

Suppuration, a common complica- 
tion, 228; causative factors, 229; 
due to impaired assimilation, 
230; organo-therapy for, 237; 
three cardinal principles of treat- 
ment, 232 



Surface energy, 85 

"Surroundings," environment, 23 

Susceptibility and resistance, 
(immunity), 15 

Symptoms, associated in magnesia 
heart, 173; cerebral, 175 

Systolic pressure, normal (tabu- 
lation), 143 



Tablet triturate, in modern thera- 
peutics, 86 

Thermic stimulus, thermo-therapy, 
52 

Thrombus, defined, 136 

Tissue respiration and the capil- 
laries, 147 

"Tolerance" and infection, 17 

Tonsillitis, and suppuration, 275; 
schema of treatment, 280 

Tradition, reliance upon, 32; a 
hindrance to medical progress, 
89; signatures and isopathy sup- 
planted by organo-therapy and 
antitoxins, the psorine theory by 
bacterins, 91 

Treatment, principles of medical, 
199 

Tropism and multi-tropism, 64 

Tuberculosis, a contactuous dis- 
ease, 24; and consumption, 24; 
mercurial injections for, 139 

Typhoid carriers, 17; statistics, 
Philadelphia, 17 



Urea, source and daily secretion, 
73 

Uremia, conditions favoring, 205 

Uric acid, normal daily secretion, 
(note), 74 

Urine, daily secretion, 73; con- 
stituents in health and disease, 
74 

Uterine catarrh, 250, 251 

Utilitarianism in scientific medi- 
cine, 92 



410 



INDEX 



Vascular system, chemic devia- 
tions in the, 124; appendicitis, 
155; arterial changes, 125; arte- 
rial obstruction, 135; arterio- 
sclerosis, 130; atheroma, 128; 
blood clotting, 136; blood pres- 
sure, 142; capillaries, the, 146; 
congestion, 147; degeneration: 
amyloid, 128; calcareous, 126; 
colloid, 135; fatty, 127; hyaline, 
127; mucoid, 135; description, 
124; ductless glands, the, 132; 
edema and nephritis, 148; embo- 
lus; 135, endarteritis, 129; infil- 
tration, fatty, 128; lymphatics, 
the, 152; lymphatic glands, the, 
154; milk-leg, 152; normal sys- 
tolic pressure (tabulation), 143; 
osmotic pressure and osmosis, 



157; phlebitis, 151; remedial 
measures, 136; thrombus, 136; 
treatment, the rational plan of, 
157; varicose veins, clinical 
reports, 150; veins, the, 149 

Vasomotor disturbances, treatment 
of, 185 

Vasomotor nerves, 145 

Veins, and degenerative changes, 
149 

Ventilation, aeration and, 40 

Vicarious function, by the lungs, 
74; by mucous membrane and 
the skin, 106 

Vomiting of pregnancy, 356 



W 

Writer's cramp, 394 



OCT 5 1912 



"7 



